Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has lavished praise on Ishan Kishan after the fifth T20I against New Zealand. Kishan scored a blistering knock of 103 runs off just 43 balls with the help of six fours and 10 sixes in the fifth T20I against New Zealand.
The left-hander scored his runs at a blistering strike rate of 239.53 and played an instrumental role in helping India post a mammoth total of 271 runs on the board. The southpaw scored 215 runs in four matches of the series at an average of 53.75.
“It is not a knock, it is a statement. He is asking, ‘I am going for the World Cup, how many of you are joining me?’ That’s the question he has put in front of the selectors and team management,” Ashwin said on ‘Ash ki Baat’.
Earlier, Kishan scored 517 runs while leading Jharkhand to glory in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and was subsequently named in the World Cup squad.
Ashwin praised Kishan for making a solid comeback into the team and making the most of his chances.
Ashwin said, “If someone asks Ishan when he was out of the team, he can proudly say, ‘I was sharpening my knife’. The way he has comeback, it has not looked like a comeback really. He was with me in the 2023 World Cup squad, but he found himself out of the team. He has comeback as twice the player he was. There is no lack of confidence and shot range. The knock he played was incredible. Incredible is not enough compliments.”
Ashwin noted that Kishan didn’t have a great day behind the stumps but he was at his absolute best with the bat.
“That wicketkeeping today, Ishan Kishan did not have a great time with the glove. But look at the batting, his strike rate is 231. He has had a solid strike rate against spin, fast bowling, and different phases of the game. In the recent past, in the same number of games, Sanju has not had the greatest of returns. If you want a verdict, it is clear that Ishan is ahead. The management wanted to give him the gloves and see if it is a combination they can play in the World Cup,” he said.
India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against the USA on February 7.
