Ishan Kishan is expected to be back in the playing eleven, albeit in a different batting position, when India face New Zealand in the three-match ODI series on Wednesday.
His absence despite his world record double hundred sparked controversy.
Despite scoring Bangladesh’s fastest double hundred in the previous series, Kishan was forced to withdraw from the Sri Lankan series.
With scores of 70, 21 and 116 in the Sri Lanka series, Shubman Gill made the most of his opportunities and was selected ahead of Ishan to open for captain Rohit Sharma.
The starting lineup against the Black Caps is not expected to change, but Kishan is expected to keep wickets because KL Rahul is unavailable for personal reasons.
In his 10 ODIs, Kishan has batted in the middle order three times, so the adjustment shouldn’t be a problem.
Since KS Bharat serves more as a cover in the absence of Rahul, the team’s second wicketkeeper is likely to warm the bench.
Every game in a World Cup year is important, and India would like to build on their success in the Sri Lanka series, even though their opponents performed poorly.
