Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has showered praise on Ishan Kishan for his impressive knock in the second T20I against New Zealand at Raipur on Friday. Kishan, who was dismissed cheaply in the opening T20I, scored a blistering knock of 76 runs off just 32 balls with the help of 11 fours and four sixes.
Thus, Kishan played an instrumental role in India’s seven-wicket win. The hosts were chasing a par score of 209 runs and Kishan added 122 runs off 48 balls with captain Suryakumar Yadav after India lost two early wickets.
The left-hander was recently added to India’s squad after scoring 517 runs in 10 matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy while leading Jharkhand.
Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube Channel, “There can’t be a bigger example than this. If you keep scoring runs, no power in the world can stop you from getting into the team. He waited for the right moment, got the opportunity, and when the innings came, it came in such a way that people forgot about Abhishek Sharma in that match. Honestly, no one even mentioned that Abhishek Sharma was out or that India would lose. No, because Abhishek Sharma was out, but Ishan Kishan was still there.”
“The kind of innings he played and the pace at which he played it was incredible. He scored around 70 to 75 runs in the first six overs and was batting on 55. It was a one-sided show. That’s why India won the match. When you are chasing around 200, you need an innings like that. It was a very solid comeback and a perfect example that a player should focus only on the game, play domestic cricket, and keep scoring runs. No force in the world can stop your comeback into the Indian team,” he added.
Kaif said Kishan has let his bat do all the talking for him after making a comeback into the squad.
“Look, gold is formed only after being heated and melted in fire. The shining gold we see goes through a long journey and has to endure intense heat. The same thing has happened with Ishan Kishan. He went through a lot, he burned, he was even dropped and left out. But the one thing he did was keep his mouth shut and let his runs do the talking. His bat kept speaking. How long can you keep him out? Eventually, they were forced to bring him back because he wasn’t in the picture earlier, he wasn’t in the scheme of things.”
“You mentioned the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. I’ve been watching him for two or three years now. Whenever he plays domestic cricket, his bat delivers. So I think this shows that Ishan Kishan has sent a message to the world, proved himself, and set an example. Even if the whole world is against you, it doesn’t matter. Your skill, your ability, your courage, and how mentally strong you are all get tested. Ishan Kishan has passed that test,” he added.
Kishan scored 28 runs off 13 balls in the third T20I at Guwahati.
