Former Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara believes Ishan Kishan could have a challenging time while facing Pakistan’s gun fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi. Pujara highlighted that Kishan likes the ball coming at him but he could be at sea if the left-arm seamer gets the ball to move away from him.

Meanwhile, Kishan scored 61 runs off just 24 balls with the help of six fours and five sixes at a whirlwind strike rate of 254.17 to help India post 209 runs on the board. The left-hander took a bit of time to hit the ground running but soon changed his gears. The southpaw completed his fifty off just 20 balls as he batted at the top of his game.

Cheteshwar Pujara said on ESPN Cricinfo, “Normally, Ishan prefers the ball coming at him – balls which are pitched on off stump, middle stump. He loves those deliveries to play either on the leg or the off side. But the moment the ball starts to go away from him, especially from a left-arm seamer, that might challenge him a bit. It would be interesting to see how he plays against Shaheen Afridi.”

Pujara said India has not delivered as expected with the bat in the first two games of the T20I showpiece and if the pitch is on the slower side, they would have to work hard.

“The batting hasn’t clicked as expected. If the pitch is on the slower side, then Indian batters will have to work hard. They will have to take singles and doubles. That is something which I haven’t seen. At Colombo, they would need it.”

India will next take on arch-rivals Pakistan at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, on Sunday.