IND vs WI | Ishan Kishan added to India ODI squad amid Covid-19 crisis - Reports

India will host West Indies for a three-match ODI series and as many T20Is, and the tour will begin with the first 50-over fixture on February 6 in Ahmedabad. The remaining two ODIs will also be played at the same venue, whereas the T20I matches will be held in Kolkata. Ahead of the ODI series, seven members of the Indian contingent, including opener Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer and net bowler Navdeep Saini tested positive for Covid-19.

Mayank Agarwal was earlier added to the India ODI squad as an opener in the absence of Dhawan and Gaikwad for the series. But, the Karnataka batsman is currently undergoing a three-day isolation period and will only be available on the day of the series opener. 

According to a PTI report, Team India have decided to add Ishan Kishan to the ODI squad, and the left-hand batsman can also open the innings along with captain Rohit Sharma. Kishan was originally part of the India squad for the T20Is against West Indies, which will commence after the conclusion of the ODI series. The wicket-keeper batsman made his ODI debut for India during the ODI series against Sri Lanka last year, and he smashed 42-ball 59 in that match. 

Reacting to the development, Saba Karim opined that Kishan can open the innings along with Rohit Sharma in the first ODI.

“You don’t have options left as well as your squad has been severely depleted because of the players who have gotten infected. Because of that, I feel we will see a new approach. This will be the right combination as well because if Ishan Kishan opens with Rohit Sharma, the sort of character Ishan has, his strike rate is always high, which means he can take advantage of the powerplay,” said Karim during a discussion on India News.

Karim further reckoned that bringing in Kishan will help Rohit to get settled and play for a long time in the match.

“It will provide more time for Rohit Sharma to get settled because he is a player who can play for a long time due to which India will also benefit. I feel this right and left-handed combination where both have different styles of playing, Kishan takes more risks on one side because of which the strike rate is very high,” added Karim.