“I entirely disagree with that” – Reetinder Singh Sodhi on Rohit Sharma’s decision to leave out of Ishan Kishan for IND vs SL 1st ODI

Reetinder Singh Sodhi has expressed his dissent with India captain Rohit Sharma’s decision to leave out Ishan Kishan for the first ODI against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, January 10. The former Indian player feels the decision could affect Kishan's game.

The 24-year-old scored a double-century in his last ODI outing against Bangladesh. The left-hander scored 210 off 131 balls, including 10 sixes and 11 fours.

Speaking to India News, Sodhi sounded extremely disappointed and stated that this will take a jolt on Ishan's confidence.

“Ishan Kishan is not in the scheme of things," he said. "I entirely disagree with that. This shouldn’t happen. If your player is scoring 200, the more you play him, the more his confidence will get boosted. If you sit him out, then his confidence will come down day by day. I think this is a big and shocking decision.”

Sodhi, meanwhile, feels that Shubman Gill should grab the golden opportunity to open for India and cement his place. He praised the right-hander’s ability to play with the new ball.

“If Shubman Gill opens then one thing is clear, Rohit Sharma trusts Gill," he added. "He’s been performing well. Gill plays the new ball very well and he’s technically personified. I think he has more to offer because he can cement his place in ODIs. He has been in and out. A golden opportunity for him.”

In a press conference on Monday, January 9, Rohit Sharma made it clear that Shubman Gill deserves a longer rope for being consistent last year.

“Both openers (Gill and Kishan) have done really well," Rohit said. "But looking at how both have gone through, I think it is fair that we give Gill a chance to have a fair run because, in the last games, Gill got a lot of runs as well.”

“I am not going to take anything from Ishan," he continued. "He has been wonderful for us. He got a double hundred and I know what it takes to get a double hundred, it is a great achievement. But just to be honest and be fair to the guys, who have done really well before that we need to give those guys enough chances as well."

Gill amassed 638 runs in 12 ODIs at an average of 70.89 last year, including a century and four fifties. Kishan, meanwhile, scored 477 runs in 10 ODIs at an average of 53, including double hundred and three half-centuries.

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“This series is very important” – Reetinder Singh Sodhi on Suryakumar Yadav’s performance in ODIs

Sodhi further added that Suryakumar Yadav needs to replicate his T20I form in ODIs heading into the 2023 ODI World Cup at home. He feels that the three-match series will be crucial for the star batter if an opportunity comes his way.

“If Suryakumar Yadav is struggling in ODI cricket, he has to really come up blazing on all cylinders," Sodhi continued. "This series is very important.”

Yadav scored his third T20I century in the series decider against Sri Lanka on Saturday, January 7, as India won by a 2-1 margin. He, however, scored only 260 runs in 13 ODIs last year, including two half-centuries.

The 32-year-old will be in action against Sri Lanka in the first ODI in Guwahati on Tuesday, January 10.