Wasim Jaffer, the former Indian opener on Thursday hailed keeper opener Ishan Kishan as a “short guy” who packs a “solid punch.” The young wicketkeeper-batter scored an explosive 56-ball 89 in the first India-Sri Lanka T20I in Lucknow on Thursday.
Ishan Kishan’s position as the opening batter was in doubt after his three lacklustre outings – 71 runs at 23.67 – against West Indies. However, an injury to reserve opener Ruturaj Gaikwad meant he got another opportunity to prove himself.
Wasim Jaffer: Sri Lankan Bowlers Bowled Short And Wide And Ishan Kishan Made Full Use Of It
The 23-year-old did just that, smashing 10 boundaries and three sixes to take India to 199 in the first innings. The Men in Blue defended that total by a margin of 62 runs, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-T20I series.
Speaking after the match, Wasim Jaffer said Ishan Kishan was lucky with Ruturaj Gaikwad’s injury, a batting-friendly pitch, and a struggling Sri Lankan bowling attack. He, however, also praised the youngster for showing his power, remarking that the Indian team management would be pleased with the performance.
Wasim Jaffer said: “He needed that game. He was lucky that Ruturaj got injured just before the game and he could play that knock. I think Sri Lanka helped him by bowling short and wide. The surface as well, the Lucknow pitch was the ideal batting pitch. The ground was big but I think Sri Lanka bowled him a bit wide and short and he made full use of it.”
“And full credit to him. Such a short guy and he packs a solid punch. On such a big ground as well, he hit some massive sixes, he hits the ball so hard. He’ll be very, very pleased. I think the Indian camp will be very, very pleased because they showed a lot of faith and he grabbed this opportunity with both hands.”
The left-hander Ishan Kishan was handed an opportunity at the top in all three games against Windies and he returned with scores of 35, 2, and 34 in the T20I series. He had a below-par strike rate of 85.54 in the recent T20I series against the West Indies.
Wasim Jaffer Pleased With Shreyas Iyer’s Performance
Wasim Jaffer was also pleased to see Shreyas Iyer’s performance. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain in IPL 2022, who has been in and out of the team of late, also took charge with a spunky 28-ball 57 after Ishan Kishan’s dismissal. Batting first, IPL 2022’s costliest buy Ishan Kishan plundered a career-best 56-ball-89 while Shreyas Iyer helped himself to an unbeaten 57 off 28 balls.
India scored 199 for two and then restricted Sri Lanka to 137 for six. Skipper Rohit Sharma also scored 44 off 32 balls as Sri Lankan bowlers, without the world’s premier leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga were taken to cleaners by Indian batters.
The former opener Wasim Jaffer said: “Because we’ve got such a bench strength, especially in batting, anybody who gets a game has to make the most of it otherwise there are players in the waiting.”
He added:“Shreyas, obviously, keeps making those performances and I think it was very, very important for him to get a game and play an innings like that as well for his own confidence as well. He played outstandingly well, hit some massive sixes and that’s something which he can do. He can bat No. 3, No. 4 and I am pleased to see him strike the ball so sweetly.”
Shreyas Iyer batted at No. 3 as a replacement for Virat Kohli, who’s on a break from international cricket. The 27-year-old is currently competing with Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav for the middle-order spots. He will want to make a mark in the remaining two T20Is as well.
Further, Wasim Jaffer also opined on India’s strategy of using seven bowlers in the match. He believes skipper Rohit Sharma could use seven bowlers because it was a “perfect game.”
He said: “Seven bowling options is something we don’t see a lot of time… He (Rohit Sharma) could use Deepak Hooda and Venkatesh Iyer because of the game we had. We kind of had the perfect game, apart from the couple of catches we dropped, I think we need to see this kind of team with more bowling options where the batters can bowl [more often], it certainly gives the captain a lot more options in tough situations.”
In bowling, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/9), Venkatesh Iyer (2/36) got their share of wickets. Yuzvendra Chahal (1/11 in 3 overs) also bowled well.