Team India began the year on a strong note as they accomplished a sweep over Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series after losing the ODI series to Bangladesh. With the exception of the second ODI, in which India struggled somewhat at the plate, the Men Up Blue turned in masterful performances in both areas.
Virat Kohli blasted two tonnes in the three matches, while Rohit Sharma, who returned after suffering a thumb injury, appeared to be in fantastic flow. Ishan Kishan was chosen over Shubman Gill, who also had a terrific performance. The opener cemented his selection by scoring a century in the final game played in Thiruvananthapuram.
Team India is currently preparing for their upcoming task, a limited-overs series against New Zealand that begins on Wednesday. Ishan, who was not selected for any of the ODIs against Sri Lanka, would get a run but in a different batting position, according to skipper Rohit Sharma, who made the announcement ahead of the first game of the series.
“Ishan will be batting middle-order, I’m glad that he can get a run here after a fine knock against Bangladesh,” the captain said on Tuesday. After Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Rohit Sharma, Ishan became the fourth Indian to score a double century in an ODI. In the final ODI against Bangladesh, the wicketkeeper-batter struck 210 from 131 balls to achieve the feat.
Ishan didn’t play in any of the ODIs, which was highly criticized by both fans and pundits at the start of the Sri Lanka ODI series despite the electrifying performance. It will be intriguing to observe how India reorganizes their batting order now that Ishan has been given a new batting position. Ishan is likely to bat in place of Shreyas Iyer, who is expected to miss the game owing to a back ailment.
Meanwhile, sharing his thoughts on the new challenge, the skipper noted: “Going into the series it’s pretty simple for us, we just want to keep improving as a team. Great opposition, great challenge, we can challenge ourselves to come out and achieve what we want to as a team. New Zealand is a very good team, they’re coming off a great series victory against Pakistan, so obviously they are playing some good cricket.”
