Ishan Kishan's blistering 89 helped India notch up a challenging 199 for two against Sri Lanka in the T20I series opener against Sri Lanka at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. The left-handed opener put up a century stand with skipper Rohit Sharma, who scored 44 to become the leading run-getter in T20I cricket.
Ishan, who had endured a poor outing in the previous series against West Indies, hit Chamika Karunaratne for three successive boundaries and went on to record his second T20I fifty in just 30 deliveries. He survived a dropped catch on 43 and made the most of the opportunity to hammer Lahiru Kumara for a six and two boundaries.
The 23-year-old Ishan, however, missed out on a century after he got caught out at mid-wicket off skipper Dasun Shanaka. He pummelled the opposition bowling attack and hit 10 fours and three sixes during his blitz.
Ishan also surpassed Rishabh Pant to become the highest individual scorer in T20Is as an Indian wicketkeeper-batsman. Pant previously held the record by scoring an unbeaten 65 against West Indies back in 2019. KL Rahul (57*) and MS Dhoni (56) are third and fourth respectively on the list.
After Ishan's departure, Shreyas Iyer took charge in his final assault as he hit five fours and two sixes in an unbeaten 44-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja. Shreyas scored 57* off just 28 deliveries as India set a challenging 200-run target for the visitors.
{{/usCountry}}After Ishan's departure, Shreyas Iyer took charge in his final assault as he hit five fours and two sixes in an unbeaten 44-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja. Shreyas scored 57* off just 28 deliveries as India set a challenging 200-run target for the visitors.
{{/usCountry}}The highlight of the Indian innings also was Rohit's 44-run knock, which helped him become the leading run-scorer in T20 Internationals. Rohit surpassed former India captain Virat Kohli (3,296) and New Zealand's Martin Guptill (3,299).
Rohit, who recently became all-format skipper, put on a stand of 111 runs with Ishan before being bowled by Lahiru Kumara. The seasoned batter has amassed 3,307 runs, including four centuries, in 123 T20 internationals since his debut in 2007.