"Wow, Just Wow": India Legend Goes Bonkers Seeing Ishan Kishan's 2nd T20I Knock
Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan truly lived up to the hype surrounding him, playing a match-winning knock for India against New Zealand in the second T20I on Friday.
Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan truly lived up to the hype surrounding him, playing a match-winning knock for India against New Zealand in the second T20I on Friday. Chasing 209, India lost two wickets with only six runs on the board. However, Kishan stepped up as a saviour, forming a terrific partnership with skipper Suryakumar Yadav and guiding India to a seven-wicket win with 28 balls to spare. Kishan scored 76 off 32 balls, while Suryakumar remained unbeaten on 82 off 37 deliveries.
Kishan's explosive innings featured 11 boundaries and four massive sixes. His performance left former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin thoroughly impressed, prompting him to praise Kishan for batting with freedom.
"What a knock, man. What batting from Ishan Kishan, wow, just wow. Anyone who watched him in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy would recognize this instantly. This is exactly how he was batting there too. No pressure of selection, no overthinking - just pure intent and freedom," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel Ash ki Baat.
"Even today, he could've easily slowed down and scored a hundred, but he didn't. He kept going for it, kept trusting his shots. That fearless mindset is what truly sets Ishan Kishan apart from the rest," he added.
This series also marked Kishan's comeback into the national team after 2023.
Speaking about his innings after the match, Kishan said he focused primarily on maximizing the scoring rate during the powerplay.
"I was focusing more on what I had to do today and being in a very good headspace for this game. Sometimes you understand that you're batting well. You just have to be in a good headspace and try to watch the ball and play your good shots. We were looking not to take risks or play cross-batted shots, but I was still looking to score as many runs as possible in the powerplay," he said.
"At the end of the day, when you're chasing a 200-plus total, you have to get good runs in the powerplay. It depends on how you're batting. I felt very good in the middle. I was able to connect the ball from ball one, so I backed myself. I had the feeling that if I just played my good shots, I could make it happen for the team," he added.
New Zealand Cricket Team
India Cricket Team