Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian opener, mentor and commentator issued a hard-hitting statement about limited overs specialist opener Ishan Kishan amid the ongoing T20I series between India and New Zealand on Sunday.
Unimpressed with Ishan Kishan’s mediocre run with the bat, former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir issued a hard-hitting statement about the wicketkeeper-batter amid the ongoing T20I series between India and New Zealand on Sunday. A lot was expected from Ishan Kishan after the Indian opener stunned the cricket fraternity with his sublime double-century in Bangladesh.
Gautam Gambhir: Indian Batting Unit Struggled Against Spin
Despite the double ton, Ishan Kishan didn’t get a chance in the Sri Lanka ODIs and only returned to the fold when New Zealand toured India. Though Ishan Kishan has regularly featured in ODI and T20I series against New Zealand, the premier batter has failed to serve another timely reminder to the national selectors in the World Cup 2023 year.
Reflecting on Ishan Kishan’s recent performances ahead of the 2nd T20I against New Zealand, which India won by 6 wickets, former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir feels the youngster should focus on rotating strikes regularly. Not only Ishan Kishan, but Gautam Gambhir think the entire batting united of the Hardik Pandya-led side has struggled against spin bowlers.
“It’s not only one chink in his armour. Indian unit as a batting unit has struggled against spin. Just the ability to not be able to manoeuvre..it’s easy to hit those big sixes but the ability to rotate strikes consistently. And there was enough purchase for spinners as well. It was pretty much evident when you got Michael Bracewell against Ishan Kishan,” Gautam Gambhir said.
“I think these young players need to learn quickly how to rotate strike because, on a wicket like this, it’s not gonna be easy to go down the ground and hit those big sixes. It’s a surprise because of the way he batted in Bangladesh after scoring that double-hundred. He has struggled after that, everyone thought his graph will start growing up with the kind of innings he has played,” Gautam Gambhir added.
With Ishan Kishan failing to deliver with the bat after the double century against Bangladesh, Gautam Gambhir has come up with a strong statement for him. Known for his straightforward attitude, the former India opener has said that the youngster should focus on rotating strikes on a regular basis.
Meanwhile, Team India beat New Zealand by six wickets in the second T20I to draw level in the three-match series. Chasing a modest total of 100 runs, India struggled against New Zealand bowlers and eventually crossed the finishing line with just one ball remaining.
Gautam Gambhir: The Sooner Ishan Kishan Improves Against Spin, The Better It’s Going To Be As He Plays Pace Well In T20 Format
Ishan Kishan was cleaned up by New Zealand’s Michael Bracewell for a forgetful score of 4 off 5 balls in the 1st T20I at Ranchi. After the hosts suffered a defeat in the 1st T20I, the Indian opener was involved in a run-out during India’s successful run-chase at Lucknow.
“He still has to work a lot against playing spin because people will use a lot of spin against him in the first 6 overs. Because he still manages to play fast bowling very well. The sooner he improves against spin, the better it’s gonna be for him, especially in the T20 format,” Gambhir concluded.
Gautam Gambhir had criticised Ishan Kishan for failing to perform consistently with the bat. Just like many, Gautam Gambhir had also picked Ishan Kishan over Shubman Gill to open the innings in ODIs following his sensational double-century against Bangladesh.
The team management, however, preferred Shubman Gill as the opener and he justified the decision by scoring a double century, two centuries and a fifty in six ODIs against Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
Ishan Kishan, on the other hand, did not get a chance in the ODIs against Sri Lanka but played in all three ODI games against New Zealand although not as an opener. In those three games, his scores were 17, 8* and 5.
Ishan Kishan has also played all the 5 T20Is that India have played so far and has failed to do well. In the 5 games, he has registered scores of 37, 2, 1, 4 and 19 with the last two scores coming in the ongoing series against New Zealand.