Ishan Kishan, who emerged as the costliest buy at the IPL 2022 auction, said he has gotten over the high of the big-money contract and is looking forward to making a mark in the ongoing T20I series against West Indies.
Mumbai Indians star Ishan Kishan said on Wednesday that he is ready to be versatile when it comes to batting position for India in T20Is but he loves the role of the opener. Speaking in the lead up to the 1st T20I of a 3-match series against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Ishan Kishan said he is looking to make the most of the opportunities that come his way in the ongoing series.
Ishan Kishan Is Happiest While Opening The Innings
Captain Rohit Sharma, who won the toss and opted to field in the 1st T20I on Wednesday, confirmed that he will open the batting in the absence of vice-captain KL Rahul, who was ruled out of the series due to a hamstring niggle. India also have Chennai Super Kings star Ruturaj Gaikwad for the role but the team management went ahead with Ishan Kishan for the opening role.
Ishan Kishan has played 6 T20Is for India so far and has opened in 4 of them. However, the aggressive wicketkeeper batter has also batted at No. 3 and No. 6, managing 148 runs in 6 innings which includes a fifty. The left-handed opener struggled on his way to 35 before falling to Roston Chase in the T20I series opener versus West Indies.
With India looking to firm up their backup options for the 2022 T20I World Cup, Ishan Kishan is a likely candidate for the backup opener role and the young batsman said the World Cup thoughts do play in his mind but that he is focused on the job in hand in the ongoing series.
“I am happiest when I open the innings. But you know, looking att the situation and what the team wants me to do, I just focus on my role. Comfortable batting anywhere, but when it’s opening, I love it the most,” Ishan Kishan said.
“Those thoughts are there (T20 World Cup) but there was a clear message from our captain and the coach that we will be given the freedom to go there and express ourselves. There will be backing. The message is clear that we are here because they see an X-factor here.”
Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan said he has put behind the high of the IPL 2022 auction and a team meeting with head coach Rahul Dravid helped him and his teammates to try and focus on the T20I series.
Ishan Kishan Was The Costliest Buy At IPL 2022 Auction
Ishan Kishan emerged as the costliest buy at the IPL 2022 auction as he was bought back by Mumbai Indians for a whopping sum of Rs 15.25 crore.
“Yeah, obviously it’s done (the hangover from the IPL auction). Had a good chat with Rahul sir also, asking us to just focus on what we’re doing right now. Obviously, IPL is a big platform for everyone. It’s a very good phase when people get happy, knowing they are going to good teams. But at the end, the focus is on what we have to do in this series,” Ishan added.
Debutant MOM Ravi Bishnoi’s two-wicket haul was backed up by quality knocks by opener Rohit Sharma (40) and Suryakumar Yadav (34*) as India defeated West Indies in the T20I series opener on Wednesday. Ishan Kishan, who was bought for a staggering ₹15.25 crore by Mumbai Indians in the IPL auction last Saturday, registered the slowest knock by an Indian in T20 Internationals while facing at least 40 deliveries.
India 162 for 4 (Rohit 40, Suryakumar 34*, Chase 2-14) beat West Indies 157 for 7 (Pooran 61, Bishnoi 2-17, Harshal 2-37) by six wickets
India playing XI for the 1st T20I: Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal.