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“I don’t think at this stage they will want to play Ishan Kishan. I think they will persist with KS Bharat, since he has kept wickets for India in the (last) home series (against Australia in Feb-March earlier this year). The kind of security Rahul Dravid and Rohit (Sharma) want to give the players, I think they will continue with Bharat,” Karim said.
Asked if Kishan’s flamboyance as a batter could prove to be the x-factor at the Oval in the absence of Rishabh Pant, Karim said, “If they had played Ishan in the home series, I think he could have a chance. But since they haven’t done that, I don’t think they will take the chance in a crucial game like this and play him straightaway.
“Moreover, x-factor comes into focus if the other players also perform, and everything has to be balanced for India to win the crucial match.”
However, Karim feels that being part of this squad will be a great learning curve for Ishan, who like Karim is from Patna.
“I think this will be a great learning experience for him. He should absorb as much as he can from seeing his teammates and the opponents, and also from the interactions. Test cricket is a different ball game and there’s so much to learn even if you are not part of the playing XI. His time will come and though he’s looked at mainly as a white-ball cricketer now, I think he’s played well in Ranji Trophy for some time now and will be a good choice for red-ball cricket in the near future,” Karim said.
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