4 min readJun 18, 2026 06:54 PM IST Ishan Kishan walked in at No 4 against Afghanistan on Wednesday, at a moment when both Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal had failed to own the day. What followed was not just a match-winning innings. It was a selection statement directed at the wrong people. For nearly four years, KL Rahul has been India’s undisputed first-choice wicketkeeper in ODIs. His spot has occasionally been debated in Tests, and he is no longer part of the T20 plans, but in the fifty-over format he has made the middle-order his own. Dropping to No 6 on Gautam Gambhir’s insistence — the role of the finisher, not the most comfortable assignment for a specialist keeper — he has done the job without fuss. Rishabh Pant never came close to displacing him. Sanju Samson was never seriously considered. Dhruv Jurel and Jitesh Sharma, ditto. For all the names thrown at Rahul’s spot, none of them stuck. Now, for the first time, Rahul has genuine competition in Ishan. But the player sweating …