Ishan Kishan, the dynamic wicketkeeper-batsman, expressed disappointment despite bagging the Player of the Series Award in the West Indies series decider. Kishan showcased remarkable consistency at the top of the batting order, scoring 184 runs in three matches at an impressive average of 61.33, with half-centuries in all three games.
Opening alongside Shubman Gill in the series, Kishan shared how the senior players advised him to capitalize on his starts and score big. While he played a brilliant knock of 77 runs off 64 balls in the decider, he felt dissatisfied with not finishing the innings after getting well set.
“Not so happy with the finishing that I gave. I was supposed to score big after being set. That’s what my seniors told me, I should’ve stayed in and scored big. That’s what I’ll try next time, I’ll get set in the middle and score big,” Ishan Kishan said in the post-match presentation.
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He emphasized the importance of taking time to get set in the middle and clearing the mind of past performances.
“It’s important at this level to get set. It’s important to forget the last game and start from 0. I was thinking of taking it one ball at a time,” he added.
Praising his good friend and opening partner Shubman Gill for his flawless shot-making, Kishan found immense confidence in seeing Gill strike the ball cleanly.
Ishan Kishan has played 16 ODI innings:
1) 59(42)
2) 50(61)
3) 93(84)
4) 210(131)
5) 52(46)
6) 55(55)
7) 77(64)5 fifties, 1 hundreds & 1 double hundred.
Don’t let Sanju Samson’s PR distract you from the fact that Ishan Kishan deserves to be selected for the WC ahead of Sanju. pic.twitter.com/nNhe9DXP89— Un-Lucky (@Luckyytweets) August 1, 2023
“He’s a tremendous player, I’ve seen how he middles the ball. Seeing him hitting it out of the middle gives me a lot of confidence as well,” Ishan Kishan asserted.
Regarding the team’s approach with the ball, Ishan Kishan mentioned their intent to play an aggressive brand of cricket, putting pressure on the hosts by taking early wickets.
“Always important to win at this level, the learnings from these games are important. We were looking to get early wickets and didn’t let any ball go. Everyone is looking very positive,” he added.
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Although West Indies will co-host the next T20 World Cup, Ishan is currently focused on the upcoming Asia Cup and ODI World Cup. He aims to stay focused on these tournaments and believes that one successful event can significantly impact a player’s career.
“I’ve played a few tournaments here and I know how the wickets play here, not really thinking about the next T20 World Cup. Focusing on the upcoming tournaments, you know how one tournament can change your life. We’re just focusing on that now,” Ishan Kishan concluded.
