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‘In whose place will he play?’ R Ashwin questions Ishan Kishan’s spot in India's ODI XI vs NZ

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan’s selection prospects in the ODI squad ahead of India’s five-match series against New Zealand, citing structural challenges in the batting lineup. With Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli locked into the top three and Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul anchoring the middle order, Ashwin argued there is little room for additional specialist batters without disrupting the team’s stability.

Despite Kishan’s standout domestic and international form over the past 18 months, Ashwin highlighted the difficulty of integrating him into a lineup already optimized for balance, particularly with all-rounders required to maintain bowling depth. The comments come as India prepares for the series opener at Eden Park in Auckland, where selectors face the task of balancing proven combinations with bench strength as the team transitions from T20Is to ODIs.

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