Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin reckons it would be tough for the team’s think tank to ignore Ishan Kishan in the playing XI for the T20 World Cup. Kishan has grabbed his opportunity with both hands in the absence of Tilak Varma while batting at one drop in the T20I series against New Zealand
The left-hander, who was dismissed cheaply in the opening T20I, scored a blistering knock of 76 runs off just 32 balls with the help of 11 fours and four sixes. Thus, Kishan played an instrumental role in India’s seven-wicket win.
The hosts were chasing a par score of 209 runs and Kishan added 122 runs off 48 balls with captain Suryakumar Yadav after India lost two early wickets. Furthermore, the southpaw scored a blistering knock of 28 runs off 13 balls in the third T20I against the Kiwis at Guwahati.
Kishan was recently added to India’s squad after scoring 517 runs in 10 matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy while leading Jharkhand.
On the other hand, Sanju Samson has struggled with his form, returning with scores of 10, 6, and 0 in the ongoing series, thus casting a doubt on his place for the T20 World Cup.
Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel, “It’s debatable. I personally know Sanju, and I have a personal relationship with him, having played three years with him in Rajasthan. He is a lovely cricketer, and he hasn’t always got enough opportunities. Now he is getting chances, but honestly, if you look at it properly, I am not always in favor of making too many changes before the World Cup. I always think that keeping things stable really helps.”
“But the way Ishan Kishan is batting, how will you ignore him? Of course, it is about keeping things stable, but how can you ignore him? Whatever happened, Shubman is a precedent for this. Why was Shubman in that spot? Because after seeing the partnership between Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, that partnership looked threatening. But the way Ishan Kishan is batting, how can you just ignore it? It is very tough. So I think they have a clear task cut out. If they want to remain stable with Sanju and not make too many changes, that is understandable. But if they say they want to try changes, if they want to try Ishan Kishan at the top, it is also a warranted merit,” he added.
The fourth T20I between India and New Zealand will be played at Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
