Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players'Kishan just had one of those days': Ex-India cricketer dissects Ishan's sedate knock, names Rohit's new opening partner
The left-handed opener struggled on his way to 35 before falling to Roston Chase in the T20I series opener versus West Indies.
Newbie 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 was his usual elegant self at the top, Ishan Kishan looked scratchy. The left-handed opener struggled on his way to 35 before falling to Roston Chase.
Ishan, who was bought for a staggering ₹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 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.
Skipper Rohit 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. Dasgupta heaped praise on Rohit and also picked his opening partner in Indian colours. He feels KL Rahul should join Rohit at the top in 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 inform 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.
The second T20I is scheduled on Friday, with all the games to be played at Kolkata's Eden Gardens.
