3 reasons why Ishan Kishan is crucial to India's success in 2023
Ishan Kishan gets a lot of backing from the Indian team management. He is believed to have the X-factor and has earned a reputation for his powerful hits.
He started his career with boundaries in ODI and T20I cricket and now has a presence even in Test cricket. There is a lot of potential that the Indian team management wants him to realize.
He is now 25, and one of the players who have played all three formats and have shown enough promise. 2023 will be a hugely important year for Indian cricket and with many players currently nursing injuries, Ishan Kishan will be a key player in the scheme of things.
Here we take a look at three reasons why Ishan Kishan is crucial to India's success in 2023:
#3 X-factor
Rishabh Pant has been a huge loss for India – both as a batter and a wicket-keeper. He emerged as one of India’s biggest match-winner in Test cricket over the last two years and his absence has seen the Indian management look at different other options.
KS Bharat was tried as a wicket-keeper against Australia, while Ishan Kishan made his Test debut against West Indies.
There is enough potential for Kishan to not make a mark in all three formats.
#2 Left-hander in the mix
After India’s underwhelming performance in the men's T20 World Cup in 2022, Ishan Kishan embarked on a tour to New Zealand as a part of the T20I squad but did not get a game.
He got a chance to play a single ODI in Bangladesh, where he made an impressive double-hundred. While he was given the responsibility of opening the batting in the T20Is against Sri Lanka on home soil, he was never given a long rope in the ODIs.
In domestic cricket, Ishan Kishan represented Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy and cracked a century coming into the bat at number 6. This versatility and the ability to play and perform different roles will be handy for India – not only in Test cricket but also in ODIs where being flexible will be important.
As a left-hander who can play both in the top and middle order, his ability to change the complexion of a match quickly will be handy for India this year.
#1 Handy wicket-keeper
Kishan was not flawless on his Test debut as a wicket-keeper, but he was decent. Pant too was circumspect when he started his career, but then improved to be a very safe man behind the stumps. This is one area where Kishan needs to improve, especially standing up to the stumps against the spinners.
KL Rahul, who has been identified as a wicket-keeper batter in ODIs, is undergoing rehab and Kishan could be the wicket-keeper batter for India for the rest of this year. Rishabh Pant will be impossible to replace and while Bharat can be a reasonable replacement for Pant the wicketkeeper, Kishan is the better batter.
He has shown in the IPL that he can take down world-class bowlers and with a long rope, the Indian management would hope, he plays an important role for the side this year.