Team India is all set to host the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, which is just around the corner. The tournament will start with all the teams playing two warm-up games before they start their WC campaign. Team India will play its first WC game against Australia on October 08 at Chennai.
Now, the debate is going on social media that who will be the first-choice wicketkeeper for Team India in the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023. Whether it will be KL Rahul or Ishan Kishan? We will talk about this in detail. So let’s dive into it quickly.
Two options for Team India in the WC 2023
Team India has picked KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan as wicket-keeping options in the team. They took Sanju Samson as a reserve in the Asia Cup 2023. But the Kerala boy didn’t make it to the WC 2023 squad.
Both the players have enough experience of doing a wicketkeeping job for Team India, their respective franchises in the Indian Premier League IPL, and their domestic teams. So there is no doubt on their skill as a wicketkeeper. Now the question is who will play as a first-choice wicketkeeper.
Who will be the first choice for Team India?
Many experts are saying that KL Rahul will be the first-choice keeper in the team. And the biggest reason for that is the hype created before his comeback in the team.
Team India was eagerly waiting for his comeback in the team. He gives stability to the team and has been a very consistent performer for Team India in this format over the years.
Done well since the comeback as well
KL Rahul has done well ever since he made a comeback in the team. He played the Super 4 game after Shreyas Iyer got the back spasm and Rahul had to come in just before the match.
He has done well by scoring an outstanding hundred in that game. In the absence of a regular captain Rohit Sharma, he won a bilateral series against Australia as captain. He scored two valuable fifties in both the games as well. With the gloves, he has done a decent job as well.
Workload management is important during the WC
Team India has to look into KL Rahul’s workload management as he came back from a long injury. Wicketkeeping is not an easy job and requires a lot of hard work, strength, stamina, agility, etc. The team will look to use him during the WC with this in mind. Maybe, we see a rotation between the two keepers during the WC.
What about Ishan Kishan?
Ishan Kishan would say what I did wrong? He is scoring runs. Did well as the opener in the West Indies. And some of the experts also suggest him as a first-choice wicketkeeper. Especially after his fighting knock against Pakistan in the first stage of the Asia Cup 2023.
Brings variety to the batting lineup
Ishan Kishan is a naturally aggressive player who can take the game on in the middle overs. Also, he brings variety to the batting lineup as a left-handed batter. Ishan will also be in consideration of the Indian team’s think tank.
KL Rahul wins the race
Right now, KL Rahul looks like an obvious choice to start in the WC. We also saw the India vs Australia series, where KL Rahul played all three games. So right now, he is the first-choice keeper. But Ishan Kishan will have his time and moment. It’s just that whenever he gets a chance, he has to grab it with both hands.
Let’s see with whom Team India will go. KL Rahul’s experience also makes him a strong contender. And looking at the atmosphere, he is a likely starter.
India will play two warm-up games as well
Team India will play the first warm-up game against the current champions England on September 30 at Guwahati. Then, they will play the Netherlands on October 03 at Thiruvananthapuram.
India’s squad for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023:-
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel (subject to fitness), Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj
- No traveling reserve has been announced by the BCCI.
Conclusion
So we have picked KL Rahul as a first-choice wicketkeeper after considering all the aspects and expert voices in social media. Let’s see how he does in the WC 2023.
Also, Team India will look to replicate the heroics of ICC ODI WC 2011, when they last played an ODI WC at home. What are your predictions? Will Team India win the WC 2023? Fill in the comment sections with your predictions below.
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