Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar feels that wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has sealed his spot in the Indian middle order heading into the ODI World Cup in India because of his adaptability in the right-handed-dominant Indian batting lineup.

The left-handed batter absorbed the pressure to score 82 runs off 81 balls against the formidable Men in Green bowling before taking on the bowlers in the opening game against Pakistan, making a name for himself in the Indian and can be key to the team’s success going forward in the ODI cricket.

Speaking to India Today, Sunil Gavaskar believes that Ishan Kishan has done everything to seal his place in the playing 11 for the Indian team, which makes him an ideal candidate to play at No.5 in the Indian team, and lauded him for his brilliant composure in the game against Pakistan.

“Definitely (sealed his spot in middle-order), also gives you a left-handed option in the middle. India don’t have a left-hander in the top 4 and then Hardik Pandya. Ishan Kishan at No. 5 makes a lot of sense.

“This is the beauty of being an opening batter. An opening bat can also slot himself down in the middle-order. It’s not easy the other way around. Ishan Kishan has shown, particularly with the way he kept his composure.

“The way he handled against Pakistan and got those 80-odd runs shows that he is not somebody who likes to go out and play his shots but he is somebody who applies his mind, reads the situation and plays accordingly,” Sunil Gavaskar said.

Ishan Kishan would be hard to ignore from playing 11 in the upcoming games. He has delivered in the 50-over format by scoring four consecutive half-centuries in the game and has shown the ability to bat at different positions for the team in the white-ball format of the game.

He Showed Admirable Patience Against Pakistan At The Start – Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar praised Ishan Kishan for a composed innings against Pakistan at the start of the innings before taking on the bowlers in the middle overs and believes that it was a huge positive sign for the Indian team going into the World Cup in the country.

“He showed admirable patience against the Pakistanis at the start, he made sure the danger was seen away. He hung around with Hardik Pandya and then started to play his shots. That is really a very, very encouraging sign because for somebody as young as him, to show the temperament he showed in that particular game means that he has a bright future ahead of him,” Sunil Gavaskar added.

The Indian batting order is filled with right-handed batters with Ravindra Jadeja being the lone left-hander in the playing 11 as Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Hardik Pandya have almost sealed their place in the playing 11, and Ishan Kishan could be another option for the team going into marquee event in India.