Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has showered praise on Ishan Kishan after India registered a comprehensive 61-run win against Pakistan at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on Sunday. Kishan scored a magnum opus knock of 77 runs off just 40 balls with the help of 10 fours and three sixes.
On a trick Colombo wicket, which had all the assistance for the spinners, Kishan brought his A-game to the table. The pugnacious left-hander made the most of the fielding restrictions in the Powerplay overs and took the attack against the Pakistan bowlers from the get-go despite losing his opening partner Abhishek Sharma early.
Thus, Kishan played an instrumental role in helping India post 175 runs on the board and was awarded Player of the Match.
Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube Channel, “Ishan Kishan’s 77 off 40 balls was truly a commendable innings. Just look at the way he batted against Pakistan and absorbed the pressure. Especially after losing a wicket in the very first over. Salman Ali Agha bowled the first over himself, opting for spin instead of pace. Abhishek Sharma got out, but from the very next over, when Shaheen Afridi came in to bowl and delivered a short ball, Ishan Kishan took him on and struck it for a six.”
“From that moment, he seized the momentum. With his aggressive batting in the powerplay alone, he took the game completely away from Pakistan. Not long ago, Ishan wasn’t even around the Indian team regularly, and now it feels like he’s batting better than anyone else,” he added.
Pathan added that Kishan has significantly improved his off-side play and it was palpable on Sunday.
“What stood out in particular was how much he has improved his off side play. Today, we even saw him play a switch hit. The range of shots he displayed included pull shots, straight drives, sweep shots, slog sweeps, shots over cover, and the way he played through the covers was outstanding. Whenever he felt the switch hit was on, he executed that as well.”
The 2007 T20 World Cup-winning player added that Kishan has taken his batting to a new level.
“Overall, it looked like the other batters were playing on a different pitch, while Ishan Kishan was batting on another level altogether, in a different zone. It was a brilliant knock and a joy to watch. If that innings had not come, the rest of the batters would have had to work much harder. But Ishan made their job much easier,” he added.
India will next take on the Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Wednesday.
