Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has heaped praise on Ishan Kishan for his match-winning knock in the high-octane clash against Pakistan at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on Sunday. Kishan scored a brilliant knock of 77 runs off just 40 balls with the help of 10 fours and three sixes and played a key role in helping India post a par-score of 175 runs on the board.
Kishan took the attack against the Pakistan bowlers in the Powerplay overs and played with aplomb. The left-hander farmed the strike and scored the lion’s share of India score before he got out
India scored 52 runs in the Powerplay overs, with Ishan Kishan dominating the scoring after Abhishek Sharma’s early dismissal.
“It was necessary to win the powerplay, and the way it was won after losing a wicket in the first over. Abhishek Sharma hasn’t yet opened his account in this tournament. It seemed like the game was getting stuck slightly, but you know who came, who saw, who conquered. The guy’s name is Ishan Kishan. Ishan got out in the first match and he was firing at the rate of knots in the second match,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“However, this was the game where you actually feel a little pressure. You cannot describe that pressure in words. Everyone feels it differently. He maintained his composure and hit Shaheen Shah Afridi’s first ball into the stands. You might be a premier bowler, but we give the premium together, and after that, the guy didn’t stop. India’s score was 88 when he got out after scoring 77 runs. It was almost game, set, and match,” he added.
The renowned commentator said there is a method to Ishan Kishan’s magic with the bat. Kishan has scored 158 runs in three games of the ongoing T20I showpiece at an average of 52.67 and a blistering strike rate of 197.50.
“There is a method to his magic. I won’t say madness. I will say magic because he has a plan. He is picking the length extremely well, and against spin, he is either playing the sweeps or scoring runs off the back foot. He has a range of sweeps. He hits it flat-batted towards long-on, plays normal sweeps, or else waits on the back foot,” he said.
India will next take on the Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Wednesday.
