India's wicket-keeping conundrum: Why Ishan Kishan should be KL Rahul's successor in ODIs

Why Kishan could replace KL Rahul as ODI keeper [Source: AFP Photo]

In the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, runs have been piled up in almost every game as several records have tumbled, and the tournament has witnessed high-profile players delivering the goods on a consistent basis. While the old guns like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have continued from where they left in the ODIs vs South Africa, youngsters like Ishan Kishan have also stepped up.

Kishan has been in red-hot form and he recently smashed a whirlwind century to help Jharkhand win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. His stellar form from SMAT was carried forward in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as the southpaw hammered 125 off 39 balls against Karnataka and knocked on the selectors’ doors.

Rishabh Pant, another keeper-batter, delivered the goods, playing for Delhi vs Gujarat, and with Dhruv Jurel also in the scheme of things, India has a keepers’ conundrum in the ODI format. With so many keepers in the race to be selected in the ODI setup, who could be the backup for KL Rahul? Or better, can anyone replace him and become the first-choice keeper.

How KL Rahul has performed in ODIs in 2025

In the ODIs in 2025, KL Rahul has been India’s middle-order backbone and has racked up 367 runs in 15 matches, with an average of 52.43. He was India’s key member during their run in the Champions Trophy, but KL Rahul is already 33, and by the time the 2027 World Cup arrives, he’ll be 35.

There is no need to give him the keeping burdens at 35, and he can play as a pure batter in the squad. With Shreyas Iyer an injury-prone batter, a wicket-keeping slot is vacant in the India playing XI, and the team currently has three options - Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, and Ishan Kishan. However, looking at the recent performances, Kishan fits the bill perfectly and here's why.

Why Ishan Kishan could be the long-term keeping option in ODIs

Form on his side

• Recently, the dynamic southpaw has done well in the 50-overs format and the batter has been going through a purple patch and he should be rewarded for the same.
• The pocket dynamo smacked a 33-ball ton in his Vijay Hazare Trophy opener and made a statement that he is ready to make a comeback in the team. The batter has been going through a stellar form across formats and with two years left in the World Cup, India has enough time to groom him.

Kishan can slot in the middle-order

• The top-order is stacked with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill in the top three, and that leaves only the middle-order where Kishan can slot in. In the Jharkhand vs Karnataka match, Kishan batted in the middle-order and hammered a 33-ball ton to propel his team to a total in excess of 400.
• In the middle-order, he played a blinder against a quality Karnataka attack, and this has given an indication that he can bat in the middle-order and India should look to groom him.

Odds not in favour of Pant

Rishabh Pant has been in and out of the side and recently, he was selected in the ODI series vs South Africa, but he didn’t play a single game for the Men in Blue. The management by Gautam Gambhir preferred other players over him, indicating that the team doesn’t have much confidence in him.

Moreover, his ODI numbers are also not so promising to be selected.

• The numbers are ordinary compared to his Test stats, and moreover, Pant has not played a single ODI since August 2024, and in his place, India can think of bringing in Kishan, who is one-year younger and has been going through a purple patch.

Final verdict

Unless anything significant happens, KL Rahul will be the first-choice keeper for India in the ODIs; however, if the team wants to relieve him of the keeping duties, they can pick Ishan Kishan as his keeping replacement. The player from Jharkhand has done exceptionally well in recent times and he fits the bill perfectly over the likes of Rishabh Pant, who has been inconsistent and has not been preferred by the management.

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