He also has a double century under his belt. He has class and talent but for now he cannot replace Rahul as he is not playing due to poor form but due to injury, he said.

After listening to Kaif, Gambhir immediately asked Kaif: Is name or form more important to win the World Cup?

If Kohli or Rohit had made those four fifties in a row, would you say the same about K L Rahul? When you are preparing to win the World Cup, you don’t look at the name, you look at the form of the player who can bring you the trophy, Gambhir said.

Ishan Kishan, in perhaps his most mature knock for the Indian team, answered the question in his own style. Confidence in his shot selection against quality bowling, rationality in constructing the innings, clarity in the pace of the knockout until cramps prevented him from getting out of the game by going for a quick lead. One knock is unlikely to silence the critics, but it is certainly a good start.

Ishan did his best to take the lead. We are only making this argument because he has not played as many international matches as Rahul, Gambhir said.

There were many players who lost their place in the team due to injuries because their replacement performed impressively. Some had to wait for their chance and others didn’t even get another chance. That’s the reality of the situation.

Yes, Rahul is a proven player at number 5, but for me