Ishan Kishan, the left-handed opener struggled on his way to 35 before falling to Roston Chase in the T20I series opener versus West Indies. However, Deep Dasgupta believes he will “learn with experience”.
Debutant spinner Ravi Bishnoi’s two-wicket haul was backed up by quality knocks by Rohit Sharma (40) and Suryakumar Yadav (34*) as India defeated West Indies in the T20I series opener on Wednesday. While Rohit Sharma was his usual elegant self at the top, Ishan Kishan looked scratchy.
Ishan Kishan Registers Slow Knock As He Wasn’t Finding The Middle Of The Bat: Deep Dasgupta
Ishan Kishan, who was bought for a staggering INR 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. Despite the young batter’s lacklustre batting show on the Eden Gardens strip, former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta feels Ishan Kishan endured “one of those days” when he wasn’t able to get going.
“Kishan just had one of those days with the bat. He was trying, it was not like he was not trying. Either the shots were finding the fielders or he was not finding the middle of the bat.
“Sometimes what happens is that when you’re trying too hard, you don’t find the middle of the bat. That, I think he will learn with experience and maturity. It is important how he manages such days.”
“So, not the usual Ishan Kishan innings, but it’s alright,” said Dasgupta said on his YouTube channel.
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.
Rohit Sharma’s Innings Was Sublime And KL Rahul Should Ideally Open The Innings: Deep Dasgupta
Skipper Rohit Sharma was unperturbed by his opening partner’s struggles. He was in decent flow at the other end, scoring a quick-fire 40 off 19 deliveries to set up the run chase. Deep Dasgupta heaped praise on Rohit Sharma and also picked his opening partner in Indian colours. He feels KL Rahul should join Rohit Sharma at the top in the T20 format instead of playing in the middle-order.
“Rohit’s innings was sublime. He never looks out of form. Even if he scores 10, 20, or 30, he always looks in-form. The 55 runs in the first 5 overs helped a lot in chasing down the score.”
“Don’t think KL Rahul is an option for the middle order in T20s. KL Rahul is such a player, who can effortlessly play with a strike rate in excess of 140. When fit and available, he should partner Rohit Sharma at the top.
“But the change in the mindset, that’s important. KL Rahul is as good as anyone in world cricket. Ideally, he should open the innings,” he further elaborated.
Captain Rohit Sharma, who won the toss and opted to field in the 1st T20I on Wednesday, confirmed that Ishan Kishan and 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.
The second T20I is scheduled for Friday, with all the games to be played at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. The only concern for India has been Virat Kohli’s form and he would definitely want a bigger knock than the scores of 8, 18, 0, and 17 so far in the assignment.