Former India player Irfan Pathan feels Ishan Kishan cannot take KL Rahul’s place as the wicketkeeper-batter in the playing XI based on just one knock. However, Rahul missed India’s first two games of the ongoing Asia Cup due to a niggle as well and Kishan made the most of the opportunity given to him as a wicketkeeper-batter while playing at No. 5 by scoring an 81-ball 82 against arch-rivals Pakistan when India were struggling in the middle.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Pathan said: “Both cannot have a place in the XI. Both can only play if someone gets injured in the top order, which we don’t want, or loses his form completely. I have only one thing to say about the ongoing debate. Ishan Kishan scored runs against Pakistan at No. 5, which is not his position. God forbid if he gets out in the next match, will we say he is not in form? No, that’s not the case. We forget very quickly. We should never forget KL Rahul’s numbers for the last two years and Ishan Kishan has played one innings.”

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However, Irfan Pathan also added that Rahul has played crucial knocks in difficult situations against Australia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as well.

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“You shouldn’t have short-term memory. You should have long-term thinking and I feel the thinking with which the management is going is absolutely correct because if you keep going with short-term memory, you will have a lot of difficulty in making the team, stabilizing it, and giving confidence to the guys. You just have to keep in mind that if KL Rahul comes and plays and doesn’t get his form, then you can say that he didn’t regain his form after injury and you can give Ishan Kishan the entire World Cup. However, as soon as KL Rahul comes, he will play,” Irfan Pathan concluded.