"I think Ishan Kishan will get the nod" - Dinesh Karthik on Rohit Sharma's replacement for the 3rd ODI against Bangladesh

Veteran keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has opined that Ishan Kishan should be considered as Rohit Sharma's replacement for the final ODI against Bangladesh. The Team India skipper has been ruled out of the dead rubber after sustaining an injury to his thumb, making him doubtful for the upcoming Test series as well.

With injuries to Rohit Sharma, Deepak Chahar, and Kuldeep Sen, Team India will have no choice but to introduce forced changes to their playing XI for the third and final ODI.

The absence of the skipper leaves a huge void at the top of the batting order. Virat Kohli was promoted to open the innings in the second ODI, but it is highly unlikely that the approach will be used again.

While KL Rahul has opened in ODIs in the past, signs indicate that he has been penciled in for the middle order from here onwards. The stand-in skipper came into bat at No. 5 in the previous match, despite Rohit's injury.

Opining that Ishan Kishan should open the innings alongside Shikhar Dhawan in the final ODI, Karthik said on Cricbuzz:

"I think Ishan Kishan will get the nod considering that he has opened against South Africa. I think it will be him and Shikhar to open, and I do think instead of Chahal it will be Shahbaz Ahmed who will come in."

Kishan has scored 207 runs across six innings in 2022 so far. He played a series-rescuing 93-run knock in the second ODI against South Africa in his hometown of Ranchi in October 2022.

Shedding further light on the potential team combination, Karthik continued:

"They will play three spinners and three fast bowlers and that will bolster the batting as well and the fact that Chattogram aids a bit of turn."

The third ODI was initially slated to be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. However, anticipating protests due to political tensions in the capital city, the fixture was shifted to Chattogram.

The Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium will also host the first Test from December 14 onwards.

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"They will be playing for a lot of pride" - Dinesh Karthik on Team India's takeaway from the third ODI against Bangladesh

Team India have now lost consecutive ODI series to Bangladesh, with a 2-1 series loss coming in 2015 after the 50-over World Cup. With an unassailable 2-0 lead in their grasp at the moment, the hosts have a chance to inflict a whitewash with a win in the third game.

The Men in Blue have only suffered a series whitewash twice in recent times. They lost 3-0 away to South Africa earlier this year and recorded a similar result during their tour of New Zealand in 2020.

Noting that the Indian players will not want a 3-0 whitewash against Bangladesh to their name, Karthik said:

"I still think it will be a very strong team and they will be playing for a lot of pride because they know that they do not want to go 3-0 down."

Team India will lock horns against Bangladesh in the third ODI on Saturday, December 10.

Will Team India suffer a series whitewash at the hands of Bangladesh? Let us know what you think.

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