IND VSL: Coming into the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, Ishan Kishan didn’t have the form on his side. He couldn’t bat fluently in the previous series against West Indies, as he struggled to accumulate runs easily. The opening batsman averaged 23.7 with a poor strike rate of around 86. Since he is an explosive and a powerful batsman, his slow scoring rate was rather unexpected. Do check our site for more IPL 2022 Season updates and match predictions.

The pitches in Eden Gardens were a bit sluggish and weren’t quite productive for strokeplay. Kishan, at this stage of his career, finds it difficult to adapt to uneasy batting surfaces. Over 50% of the balls he faced in the West Indies series were dot balls and his balls-per-boundary ratio was a shade above 9.

Kishan, who usually enjoys the fielding restrictions of the powerplay, failed to give quick starts to his side. The pressure was mounting on the youngster to deliver the goods in the series against Sri Lanka. Kishan himself admitted it in the post-match press conference of the first T20I against Sri Lanka. He said,

When you come to a level like this, playing for the Indian team, you have to be ready for every opportunity you get because there are so many players performing well.”

IND VS SL: Ishan Kishan turned the tables around against Sri Lanka:

Ishan Kishan played a fine knock against Sri Lanka in the first T20I at Lucknow
Ishan Kishan played a fine knock against Sri Lanka in the first T20I at Lucknow

Ruturaj Gaikwad was set to play the first match, however, he was ruled out at the last moment due to a wrist injury. Kishan would’ve been probably demoted in the batting order if Gaikwad had played. Anyway, he eventually opened the innings and made his chance count. 

Unlike the West Indies series, Kishan utilized the powerplay. He started the carnage in the third over and took full toll of the fielding restrictions. He creamed three consecutive fours in the third over as Chamika Karunaratne bowled some ordinary deliveries. Kishan seemed to have found his touch.

In the first six overs, the southpaw had scored 39 runs off just 22 balls, hitting seven boundaries including two sixes in the process. The southpaw displayed his power in the second half of the powerplay. Apart from a couple of fours, Kishan pulled two short balls and collected two maximums. Get here the latest and legit Betting Apps in India for IOS and Android.

Kishan continued to attack and completed his 30-ball half-century. However, things weren’t quite smooth for Kishan from the start of eighth to the end of the fifteenth over. In this phase, Kishan could manage just 27 runs off 25 balls, scoring just two boundaries. From 46(25) at one stage to 73(50), things seemed to derail for Kishan.

Anyway, he managed to finish his innings decently as he smashed three consecutive boundaries, including a six, against Lahiru Kumara in the sixteenth over. Overall, it was a fine knock by Ishan. At the score of 89 off 56 balls, his knock came to an end as Kishan couldn’t manage to hold his shape while playing pull shot against Dasun Shanaka.

Ishan Kishan’s prospects for T20 World Cup 2022:

IND VS SL: Ishan Kishan is being backed by the Indian team management as he himself acknowledged in the post-match press conference. He is a powerful left-handed batsman, and often bats with intent. Thus, India are rightly keeping him in the scheme of things for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia. 

Ishan needs to work on certain aspects of his batting, especially on his conventional batting on tricky batting surfaces. Kishan mentioned one of those aspects and told how the captain Rohit Sharma is helping him.

He (Rohit Sharma) always keeps telling me that ‘you can hit whenever you go out there in the middle’. The important thing for me where I was erring was about rotating the strikes and taking singles. He has helped me out in those areas, especially when I’m batting at the nets.

Kishan also talked about the importance of finding gaps in big grounds in the post-match presentation. It will be indeed quite crucial in the Australian grounds with big boundaries. Batsmen with a stable base, traditional stroke-play, and good range against pacers have a good chance to succeed in Australia. And, India would hope that Ishan Kishan keeps fine-tuning his gameplan and goes strength to strength.

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