“To win the World Cup, name is more important or form?" - Gautam Gambhir grills Mohammad Kaif for backing KL Rahul over Ishan Kishan 

Former India cricketers Gautam Gambhir and Mohammad Kaif were engaged in a passionate debate over Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul during the India-Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 match in Pallekele on Saturday, September 2. While Kaif said that Kishan will have to make way for Rahul despite his half-century against Pakistan, Gambhir countered him, stating that form is more important than name.

Kishan was picked as the wicketkeeper-batter in the Indian playing XI for the high-voltage clash against Pakistan on Saturday. The left-hander was the obvious choice after Rahul Dravid had confirmed in a pre-tournament press conference that KL Rahul would miss India’s first two Asia Cup games during a niggle.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Kaif was asked who he would pick between Kishan and Rahul in the wake of the former’s impressive batting effort which he did under pressure. The former India batter responded that Kishan would have to make way when Rahul is fit.

"Kl Rahul is a proven match-winner. At No. 5, his numbers are fabulous. So, when KL Rahul is fit again, he will be playing in the XI and Ishan Kishan will have to wait for his next opportunity. Ishan is doing all that he needs. His graph is only going up and is getting better by the day. He has a double century to his name as well.

"He has class and talent but he cannot replace Rahul yet because the latter is not playing because of bad form, but due to an injury," Kaif opined.

Gambhir, however, expressed his disapproval over Kaif’s views and countered him. He asked the former India batter whether name is more important than form heading into a World Cup.

"To win the World Cup, name is more important or form? Had Kohli or Rohit made those four consecutive fifties, would you have said the same thing about KL Rahul? When you are preparing to win a World Cup, you don't look at a name, you look at the form of a player that could win you the trophy,” Gambhir said while responding to Kaif.

Kishan scored a brilliant 82 off 81 balls and featured in a fifth-wicket stand of 138 with Hardik Pandya (87 off 90) as India recovered from 66/4 to post a competitive 266. The match, however, produced no result as Pakistan did not get a chance to bat due to rain.

---

“Ishan has done everything possible to become the frontrunner” - Gambhir backs Kishan for World Cup

Carrying on with the debate, Gambhir opined that Kishan has definitely done a lot to put his name in contention as frontrunner for one of the World Cup spots. The 41-year-old commented:

"Ishan has done everything possible to become the frontrunner. We are only making this argument because he hasn't played as many international matches as Rahul. There have been many players who have lost their spot in the team due to injuries because their replacement player performed impressively. Few had to wait for their chances while other did not even get another chance. This is the reality.

“Yes Rahul is a proven player at No. 5 but for Ishan, who has never batted at that position comes in and score 82 against a bowling attack like Pakistan under that pressure, then you cannot compare the two at all," Gambhir concluded.

Kishan has been in terrific form in one-day cricket, notching up half-centuries in his last four innings.