IND vs NZ: 3 reasons why New Zealand ODIs could be huge for Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan is one of the most exciting young talents in the country. He made his international debut against England in March 2021. He made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in the same year in July. Last week, he also received a red-ball call-up for the upcoming home series against Australia.

Kishan is a destructive left-handed batter who has the ability to take the game away from the opposition. He has represented India in 10 ODIs, scoring 477 runs at an average of 53 and a strike rate of 112.

In the absence of a KL Rahul, he is expected to get a chance in the starting XI against New Zealand in the three-match ODI series starting tomorrow. Let's take a look at the three reasons why this series could be huge for the southpaw keeper batsman.

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#1 Can establish himself as the backup wicket-keeper for KL Rahul in the 2023 WC

Rishabh Pant suffered an unfortunate accident last month. He is expected to be out of cricket for a long time. It seems unlikely that he will be a part of the World Cup hosted by India this year in October-November.

KL Rahul is currently India's first-choice wicket-keeper in the Playing XI. He has cracked the number five role in the format and has significantly improved as a wicket-keeper.

However, it is important that the team has quality backup options. If KL Rahul is injured or needs to be rested, India must groom Ishan Kishan as the wicket-keeper. Hence, the series against New Zealand will be extremely crucial for him.

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#2 Can prove his worth as a middle-order option in ODIs

Although Ishan Kishan is best suited as an opener, it is highly unlikely that he will get a chance to open in the upcoming series. Shubman Gill has been in excellent form in the format since 2021, while Rohit Sharma is the captain of the team and one of the best batters in the format's history.

KL Rahul will not be part of the series due to family reasons. Shreyas Iyer has also been ruled out of the series due to a back injury. Therefore, Kishan getting an opportunity in the series is almost certain. India might look to replace Rahul and Iyer with Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav respectively.

In his short career, Kishan has batted seven times at number 3 and 4, scoring 239 runs at an average of 34.14. A good series in the middle order against a quality New Zealand bowling attack will strengthen his case for the upcoming World Cup.

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#3 Get some much-needed game time ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy

In the absence of Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat have been picked as the wicket-keeping options for the four-match Test series starting from 9th February. Both have a middling first-class record as compared to Rishabh Pant, who is one of the best Test batters in the world in current form.

Ishan has scored 2985 runs at an average of 38.76, while Bharat has 4707 runs at an average of 37.95. Based on the overall batting stats, there is not much to separate between the Jharkhand and Andhra wicket-keeper batsmen. In the last few first-class matches, Kishan has scores of 132, 22, 13 & 13, while Bharat has scores of 77, 0, 31, 5, 89 & 80.

It has been established that ODI and Tests require different abilities to succeed. However, someone with international experience might just be better suited to make their debut in the Border Gavaskar Trophy. According to a PTI report, the selectors have picked Kishan because they believe he has the ability to take the game away from the opponent in a session, much like Rishabh Pant.

Both players are part of the ODI squad against New Zealand. Therefore, getting some vital game time here will mean that they will face international pedigree bowlers going into a big series like the Border Gavaskar Trophy.