Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has backed batter Ishan Kishan to be India’s wicket-keeper for the upcoming ODI World Cup. In the absence of Rishabh Pant, India is expected to back the likes of KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, and Sanju Samson as wicket-keepers for the ODI showpiece.

However, Rahul is also out due to an injury whereas Samson has not grabbed his chances. Kishan scored a total of 184 runs in three matches against the West Indies at an impressive average of 61.33 and a blistering strike rate of 111.52. Ergo, he was awarded the Player of the Series award for his consistent performances.

But he could not carry on the good show against the Windies in the T20I series. Ganguly feels Kishan can open up the game for India and he can definitely add value to the team.

“Pant is the best wicketkeeper in the country, but you can see Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul (depending on his fitness); these two will be right up in Rohit’s and Rahul’s minds. I like Ishan Kishan because he just opens up the game for any team. I am sure Dravid will keep him in his plans,” Ganguly said during a recent event.

Meanwhile, Ganguly backed youngsters like Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, and Yashasvi Jaiswal to back their natural game and play aggressively in the upcoming tournaments.

“It has to be a team of experience and people who don’t have any scars — like Jaiswal, Varma, Ishan Kishan. They can go and play fearless cricket. Rahul (Dravid), Rohit, and the selectors have plenty of choices; they just have to identify and pick the best XI,” Ganguly said.

Ishan Kishan has amassed 694 runs at an impressive average of 46.26 across 17 ODIs whereas Tilak Varma and Yashasvi Jaiswal also impressed on the recent West Indies tour. Varma top-scored with 173 runs in five T20Is while Jaiswal had a terrific start to his Test career, scoring 266 runs in two matches.