Dinesh Karthik explains what sets Ishan Kishan apart
Dinesh Karthik has praised debutant Ishan Kishan for his exhilarating knock of 56 off 32 balls in the second T20I against England.
The Indian wicketkeeper-batsman pointed out that Kishan's confidence and his ability to trust himself to hit the big sixes is what set him apart.
Following their defeat in the first T20I, India made changes at the top of the order, going in with Ishan Kishan instead of Shikhar Dhawan. The move paid off as the 22-year-old set up a 94-run stand with Virat Kohli to guide India to a comprehensive seven-wicket win.
Speaking about Ishan Kishan's debut, Karthik was left impressed by some of the shots played by the southpaw.
"Some brilliant shots. The way he started, the confidence, the poise. His ability to trust himself to hit those big sixes irrespective of the ball being bowled is what sets him apart. That's what a power player is; you want somebody like that at the top of the order who can put pressure on the bowlers. I thought he put pressure from ball one on Jofra, and that's a good sign." Karthik said in a chat on Sky Sports.
Dinesh Karthik added that Ishan Kishan is a perfect foil for someone like Virat Kohli.
"The key to India winning games is Kohli, and a person like Kohli will revel batting with a person like Ishan Kishan." Karthik added.
"They were very clever about it"- Dinesh Karthik on India's bowling performance
Dinesh Karthik also applauded the Indian bowlers and the way they used the slower balls to good effect.
The 35-year-old even jokingly remarked that Washington Sundar was the fastest bowler for the hosts in the second T20I.
"Just how clever they were(on being asked what stood out in India's bowling performance). Towards the back end of the innings, they were just bowling cutters. I thought the fastest bowler on display was Washington. The off-spinner seemed to bowl a lot of faster ball, and the fast bowlers seemed to bowl a lot of off cutters. They were very clever about it, they had good game plans, and the wicket helped them in abundance." Karthik concluded.
With Hardik Pandya bowling his full quota of overs, skipper Virat Kohli certainly has more bowling options in his repertoire now.
India went in with just two outright seamers in Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shardul Thakur in the second T20I, and the move worked out well as the bowlers were able to restrict England to 165.