Ishan Kishan or KL Rahul? Gautam Gambhir picks front-runner for middle-order spot

Gautam Gambhir reckons Ishan Kishan is a better middle-order choice than KL Rahul.

Not long ago, the biggest concern for India was its middle-order. Injuries to KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer forced Indian team to try out some other players in the middle-order. But it didn't come with much help. However, now that both Rahul and Iyer are back in the squad, it has given the Indian team another headache.

It is because Ishan Kishan, who is a top-order batter, has done a brilliant job in the middle-order and is the only left-hander in India's top six. The left-hander scored a counter-attacking 81-balls 82 against Pakistan when other batters were struggling. He, along with Hardik Pandya, added India's highest fifth-wicket partnership off 138 runs against Pakistan, which helped the team reach a fighting total of 266.

Gautam Gambhir gives Ishan Kishan an edge over KL Rahul for the middle-order Spot

Team India is currently participating in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023. Rahul is all set to join the team for the super four stage. India will face arch-rivals Pakistan on September 10 in their first match of the super four. Now, the management is left with a hard choice to make, who should play, Rahul or Ishan? Notably, the left-hander has scored four half-centuries in his last four innings.

Former Indian opener Gambhir reveals his best pick among these two stars. In a discussion on Star Sports, Gambhir said that Ishan should be given a chance. He said, "I feel Ishan Kishan has done everything he needs to do to be a frontrunner. Just because he is Ishan Kishan and hasn't played a lot of international cricket, you're saying that KL Rahul should play before him. But if Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma were in place of Ishan Kishan, would KL Rahul be able to replace them? The answer is 'no'."

The 2007 and 2011 World Cup-winning members also said that India should consider the form, not the name. He explained that if Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma had scored four consecutive half-centuries, would you consider Rahul replacing them? Gambhir concluded by saying that India should go for form if they want to win the World Cup because the in-form players will win the competition, not the big names.