Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has praised Ishan Kishan for the significant evolution in his batting, particularly highlighting the left-hander’s improved ability to adapt to different conditions and match situations. Manjrekar’s assessment came during the innings break on Sony Sports Network after Kishan played a crucial unbeaten knock against Sri Lanka in the Asian Games 2026 semi-final. The India wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 80 off 46 balls as India posted 169/7 on a challenging surface.

While discussing Kishan’s development, Manjrekar reflected on the batter’s journey from an aggressive stroke-maker who relied heavily on power to a more controlled and adaptable player. He also drew comparisons with Rishabh Pant, with whom Kishan played during India’s Under-19 campaign.

According to Sanjay Manjrekar, one of the biggest questions surrounding Kishan earlier in his career was whether he could modify his approach depending on the conditions. “Can he adjust to different conditions? And I maintain that in the last three months, Ishan Kishan has notched up another sort of stage in his career,” Manjrekar said.

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The former India batter then recalled watching Kishan and Pant together during the 2016 Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh. At that stage, Manjrekar felt Kishan was trying to dominate bowling primarily through power, while his balance and technique still needed refinement. “I thought he was inspired by Rishabh Pant. They played together in the India Under-19 World Cup that happened in Bangladesh, where you thought he was trying to muscle the ball too much, a bit too much. His body and balance weren’t that great,” Manjrekar said.

However, Sanjay Manjrekar believes Kishan has since developed greater control without losing the attacking instincts that have always been a major part of his game.

His unbeaten 80 against Sri Lanka offered a clear example of that development. With wickets falling regularly at the other end, Kishan adjusted his approach and played according to the pace and nature of the pitch rather than attempting to attack every delivery.

Sanjay Manjrekar specifically pointed towards Kishan’s balance and shot selection, particularly against slower bowling.

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“But now, when you look at the shots that he’s played, there is great balance. This is a perfect execution of the reverse lofted sweep. This guy worked out that if the ball is far, I’m going to stay back and play the cut shot or the full shot,” he said. The former batter also highlighted Kishan’s ability to judge the pace of the surface when atte