As skipper Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced India's squad for the ODI World Cup 2023, only 15 players got the nod while a number of those who were in contention, were left with broken hearts. Yuzvendra Chahal and Sanju Samson were among those players whose absence pinched many fans while the inclusion of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer didn't convince everyone. Veteran Indian spinner Piyush Chawla said that while there's plenty of talk on the role KL Rahul will play for the team, even Shreyas Iyer's spot should be questioned.
After Ishan Kishan's heroics took India to 266 runs in the Asia Cup match against Pakistan, many feel that the young wicket-keeper batter has cemented his spot in the team. In the middle-order the experts feel there will be a fierce fight between him and KL Rahul. But, Chawla feels even Iyer's place in the team should be discussed.
"We are talking about both of them, why not Shreyas Iyer? Shreyas Iyer's place should also be questioned. Ishan cannot remain in the reserves now because of the way he has batted in the top order," Chawla was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda.
"People had a question about how he would bat in the middle order and the way he batted in the middle order after coming into bat in a tough situation, he is going through good form and he solves the problem of the absence of a left-hander in the middle order, which we often talk about."
For Chawla Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul look like certain picks in the middle-order while Shreyas Iyer might not be an automatic selection.
"So he is straightaway a walk-in for me. If we talk about KL Rahul, his track record is so good and he has done so well over the years," the spinner said.
With Rahul available for selection from the Super-4 stage of the Asia Cup, it would be interesting to see what sort of composition the team management opts for in the middle-order.