From out of favour to indispensable? Ishan Kishan, India's ODI star in the making

CHENNAI: Ishan Kishan has added another chapter to his incredible comeback story. Having put on a phenomenal show at the T20 World Cup earlier this year after forcing his way back into India’s plans, the Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batter is now making himself impossible to ignore in the ODI format too.

Ishan, playing ODIs after nearly three years, first chipped in with 34 runs at No. 3 in the series opener against Afghanistan. In the second ODI, at No. 4, he went several steps further, producing a superb 125 off 79 balls to make a compelling case in a series where India are experimenting with batting roles.

With the hosts heading into the third and final ODI at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Saturday having already wrapped up the series 2-0, the dead rubber serves as the perfect canvas for Ishan, who replaced the injured Virat Kohli, to cement his stakes.

During his knock in the previous game, the 27-yearold showed glimpses of how he evolved as a 50-over batter.

But his resurgence presents a ‘problem of plenty’ for the team management, who are yet to name the squad for the England ODIs. With Kohli expected to reclaim his customary No. 3 spot and KL Rahul remaining India’s preferred wicketkeeper-batter in the first-choice XI, opportunities appear limited on paper.

But, according to India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, Ishan ticks a lot of boxes “I think with Ishan, the only concern was ‘could he transform himself from a T20 specialist into a 50-over player, and potentially even a redball player?’ I think he has shown that. By nature, he’s very aggressive and we still feel that he has space for that in this team. You do have some solid batters around him if you include Virat and Shubman (Gill). And we feel that the template for this format is to have guys who still go after it,” the coach said.

Harshit in but unlikely to play

Meanwhile, ten Doeschate also revealed that Nitish Kumar Reddy could return after missing the previous ODI, while Arshdeep is set to be rested. Fast bowler Harshit Rana, who was added to India’s squad for the third ODI, is unlikely to feature.