Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan will be the first and second choice wicket-keeper bat for India respectively in the ODI World Cup 2027. Pathan reckons Sanju Samson, who has an excellent ODI record, can be India’s third wicket-keeper option for the ODI showpiece.
The trio has been in good form in the recent past and would look to carry the same impetus in the white-ball formats. Rahul scored 593 runs in 14 matches for Delhi Capitals whereas Ishan Kishan amassed 602 runs in 15 matches for SRH in IPL 2026.
Sanju Samson, who played a key role in taking India to glory in T20 World Cup 2026, accumulated 477 runs in 14 games for CSK.
“KL Rahul is No. 1, a wicketkeeper-batter who plays in the middle order. He is a versatile player. Ishan Kishan has been brought in because you need a batter who can bat up the order and play well square against short balls. So they will be the two topmost,” Irfan Pathan said on Star Sports.
“If someone is given a chance going ahead, it will be Sanju Samson. Sanju Samson’s ODI record is excellent whenever he has been given chances, and he is batting with maturity and soaking up the pressure now, and plays long knocks as well,” he added.
Pathan said Hardik Pandya is currently the number one all-rounder in the white-ball formats.
“Hardik is the No. 1 all-rounder at the moment. However, we missed his services in 2023 due to injury. He got injured in the 2018 Asia Cup as well. So you need backups, and you will need all-rounders in South Africa. You will need fast-bowling all-rounders more than spin-bowling all-rounders,” he said.
The former swing bowler picked Nitish Kumar Reddy as the backup all-rounder to Hardik Pandya.
“I would like to see Nitish Kumar Reddy. He has increased his pace. His batting has improved a lot. He went to Australia and scored a hundred in a Test match. It means he has the ability to play bounce. So he should get as many opportunities as possible, after Hardik,” Pathan observed.
The ODI World Cup 2027 will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
