Ishan Kishan is the front-runner to replace KL Rahul [X.com]
Led by Rohit Sharma, India will kickstart their Asia Cup 2023 campaign with a high-voltage face-off against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 2 in Pallekele, Sri Lanka. However, in an unfortunate turn of events, the Men in Blue have suffered a massive setback, with ace keeper-batter KL Rahul being ruled out of the mother of all battles. Besides increasing India's headache, Rahul's absence has opened the doors for the likes of Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav to make it into the final eleven.
So, let's see what could be India's playing eleven for the high-octane face-off against Pakistan in Pallekele.
Scenario 1: Ishan in middle order
As KL Rahul has been ruled out, India might consider including Ishan Kishan as his like-for-like replacement. If this happens, Ishan will bat in the middle order, as India have a formidable first-choice top four, comprising Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer. It will be a safe move, as it will allow them to field a settled XI with the aforementioned forced change.
The batting order will likely be flexible, as India might promote Kishan to dominate leg spinners and slow-left armers in the middle overs.
India's probable playing 11 for first two Asia Cup matches
Scenario 2: Ishan, SKY in, Iyer Out
Suryakumar Yadav has an outside chance to feature in India's playing XI [X.com]
As KL Rahul is unavailable, India's finishing department is likely to suffer in the first two matches in the Asia Cup. So, the team management might take a bold call and exclude Shreyas Iyer, who has recently recovered from a back injury, replacing him with swashbuckling batter Suryakumar Yadav to ensure a fitting finish.
The Indian think tank has backed Yadav a lot, so it could be a feasible decision. It will also allow Iyer to take some time off the field and gradually regain match fitness.
India's probable playing 11 for first two Asia Cup matches
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