Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif showered praise on Ishan Kishan’s form amid the T20I series against Afghanistan. Kaif said Kishan’s decision to return to the domestic circuit has paid off as he has performed consistently across all formats.
The left-hander scored a decent knock of 42 runs off 33 balls in the opening T20I against Afghanistan in the run chase of 157 at Delhi on Sunday. He added 121 runs off 53 balls with Abhishek Sharma, who scored the bulk of the runs in the second-wicket partnership.
Recently, Kishan led East Zone to glory in the Duleep Trophy as he scored a stunning knock of 270 runs in the first innings.
Kaif believes Kishan’s exclusion from BCCI’s central contract list a few years ago has turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
“When Ishan Kishan’s name was removed from BCCI’s contract list, he was told to play domestic cricket. He also had some issues, because of which he was unable to play domestic cricket consistently. Maybe it was forced on him when the selectors and the head coach at the time, Rahul Dravid, told him to play in the domestic circuit. At the time, he must have felt bad that someone was forcing him to do something, but that has benefitted him,” Mohammad Kaif said on Cricbuzz.
The former UP batter reckons Kishan has become wiser and focused on his game after a central contract setback.
“I think that decision has made him a wiser person. Now he is totally focused on his game. He is now able to score in every format because he plays in Ranji, and he was already a good white-ball player. We mostly know Jharkhand for MS Dhoni, but now more heroes like Ishan Kishan are emerging from there,” Mohammad Kaif said.
“Sachin Tendulkar played for India for 23 years consistently without any break apart from injuries here and there, and that is the reason he made 100 centuries. The more you play, it helps you become a better player. I am seeing Ishan Kishan in that phase where he is playing constantly and brilliantly for the last two years, and he wants to keep playing all the time. He must also be feeling the pressure, as Vaibhav Suryavanshi is not finding a place and there is a lot of competition, but he is handling that pressure well,” he elaborated.
The second T20I between India and Afghanistan will be played on Tuesday in Delhi.
