DUBAI: Former India batter VVS Laxman reckons that Ishan Kishan can be played in the Men in Blue's last fixture of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup against Namibia.
India was knocked out of the World Cup on Sunday after Afghanistan failed to defeat New Zealand. Even if the Men in Blue wins against Namibia, they would not be able to leapfrog New Zealand at the second position in Group 2 to make the semi-finals.
"Oh well there is no doubt, I think that he is a very talented player. Ishan Kishan is someone who uses the powerplay field restrictions, plays his brand of cricket. Having said that, as Virat Kohli relinquishes his captaincy after that the choice will be Rohit Sharma, he is most destructive and consistent to win matches for India in that position where he goes in as an opener and then KL Rahul we know what a talent he is and what a match winner he is," said Laxman on Star Sports' show 'Game Plan'.
"So, how can you disturb these two established openers just to accommodate Ishan Kishan. So that's probably the question, which will be on the minds of team management and the selection committee. But, probably keeping in mind that there is no consequence to the match which is going to happen against Namibia. Probably in this match they can try Ishan Kishan," he added.
Laxman also said that the Indian outfit needs to identify more bowlers if they want to have a chance in the next T20 World Cup which will be played in Australia next year.
"Yeah I think it is very important to identify a couple of bowlers who bowl quick because the conditions in Australia will be totally different, where I'm not sure the ball will swing too much. But having someone who can bowl quick, extract the bounce and pace of that wicket and at the same time can use the variations because you want someone who can also finish off the innings well with the ball," said Laxman.
"The other important aspect is to identify batsmen who can bowl because we've seen that if you have the sixth or seventh bowling option, the captain will definitely not be under pressure. We know Hardik Pandya has been struggling with his fitness. So, get a couple of batsmen who can also take two overs, that will be very critical for the World Cup in Australia," he added.