“Ishan Kishan is ahead in the pecking order” - Aakash Chopra doesn’t see Ruturaj Gaikwad opening with Shikhar Dhawan in ODIs against West Indies

Aakash Chopra reckons that Ishan Kishan is likely to open with Shikhar Dhawan in the ODI series against the West Indies, which starts on Friday (July 22). Admitting that Ruturaj Gaikwad could be considered if India are looking at a left-right combination, the former batter opined that Kishan is ahead in the pecking order.

In the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma (rested) and KL Rahul (injured), stand-in captain Dhawan will have a young opening partner in the ODIs against West Indies.

The three-match series will kick off with the first game at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

In an Q&A session on his YouTube channel, Chopra was asked if Gaikwad should open with Dhawan in the ODI series. He replied:

"I don’t think Gaikwad will get a chance. If they consider a left-right combination, Ruturaj can open with Dhawan. But Ishan Kishan is ahead in the pecking order according to me. He got into the team before Gaikwad and has done better than Gaikwad whenever he has got a chance. So, I feel Ishan Kishan will be opening with Dhawan.”

While Gaikwad is yet to make his ODI debut, Kishan has played three games in the 50-over format, scoring 88 runs at an average of 29.33. He scored a half-century on debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo last year.

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“Left is right” - Aakash Chopra on Indian Top 3’s struggles against left-arm pacers

Ahead of the West Indies series, India impressed in England, winning both the T20I and the ODI series. However, England left-arm seamer Reece Topley troubled the Indians, claiming nine wickets in the last two ODIs. He was highly effective against India’s top three.

Asked why India’s established top-order batters are having a tough time against left-arm pace, Chopra explained:

“Left is right. The angle is such that you cannot prepare that well for it. The more white ball cricket you play, the more you start hitting away from the body. When you start playing away from the body, left-armers can catch batters with the natural angle going away."

Chopra added:

"We saw (Virat) Kohli and Rohit (Sharma) getting out. Also, when the ball comes in with the arm, there is a big bat-pad gap created. This is definitely an issue for India in white ball cricket."

Before Topley, the Pakistani duo of Mohammad Amir and Shaheen Afridi and New Zealand’s Trent Boult had also troubled India’s top-order batters.

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