PALLEKELA: The touchdown in Colombo was smooth but after a ride into the beautiful heart of the island the weather was humid with temperatures hovering around 26-27 degrees Celsius in the evening. There was sporadic rainfall too. The forecast for the week is not very encouraging, but in the India camp perhaps the discussion would not be about the weather. Ishan Kishan and where he would feature in the team could be the central point.
The wicketkeeper-batter, as of now, looks set to feature in the playing XI when India takes on arch-rivals Pakistan in their Asia Cup opener on Saturday at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka.
With the first-choice keeper KL Rahul out for at least the first two matches and reserve gloveman Sanju Samson not being in the squad of 17, the 25-year-old left-hand batter from Jharkhand remains the only choice in the role for the team management.
But more than him playing the match, it's his batting order that is a topic of discussion ahead of the marquee clash. Kishan slammed three consecutive half-centuries (52, 55, 77) in the previous three-match ODI series against West Indies. Incidentally, he has been most successful with the willow while opening the innings as 425 of his 694 runs in 17 ODIs so far have come batting at the top of the order. He has scored three half-centuries and a double ton (210) in six innings he has opened the batting for India in the 50-over format.
The situation at the continental showpiece event, however, is entirely different from the last series where the regular opener and India skipper Rohit Sharma came down the order in the first match and was rested for the next two.
The other two positions Kishan has played at so far are No. 3 and 4. He had scored 163 runs at an average of 40.75 at No. 3 in four matches while his average at No. 4 is 21.20 as he could manage only 106 runs from six matches to date at that position. Given his past performances, it would be more apt if he played as an opener. But for that to happen, either Rohit or Shubman Gill has to bat down the order which may force Virat Kohli to bat at No 4.
Even India captain Rohit, while announcing the squad last week, emphasised on having a flexible batting order. "One thing I want in this team is to make sure everyone is okay to bat anywhere. That's one thing we need to keep in mind. You need flexibility, guys who can step up at any position. No one should say, 'I'm good at this position or I'm good at that position'. You want guys to be able to bat anywhere, that's the message conveyed to every individual. Not now, but over the last three years," he had said.
If not as an opener, Ishan can also come in at No 3 instead of Kohli. His numbers at that position might not be as impressive as an opener but it's better than his showing at No 4 where his average drops considerably. Besides, he has never batted at No 5 or below making the other options completely uncharted territory for him.
If they manage to reach the final, India can at maximum play six matches at the Asia Cup. The event will be followed by three ODI series against Australia before the World Cup begins. This means the management has a maximum of nine matches to finalise team combination and batting positions. However, things look far from ideal at the moment, especially with injuries throwing up new challenges ahead of them every day. Kishan's batting position is the newest challenge and it remains to be seen how head coach Rahul Dravid deals with it.