"Such a short guy and he packs a solid punch" - Wasim Jaffer hails Ishan Kishan for 89 in 1st India vs Sri Lanka T20I
Former India opener Wasim Jaffer on Thursday hailed Ishan Kishan as a "short guy" who packs a "solid punch." The young wicketkeeper-batter scored an explosive 56-ball 89 in the first India-Sri Lanka T20I in Lucknow on Thursday.
Kishan's position as the opening batter was in doubt after his three lackluster outings - 71 runs at 23.67 - against West Indies. However, an injury to reserve opener Ruturaj Gaikwad meant he got another opportunity to prove himself.
The 23-year-old did just that, smashing 10 boundaries and three sixes to take India to 199 in the first innings. The Men in Blue defended that total by a margin of 62 runs, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-T20I series.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo after the match, Jaffer said Kishan was lucky with Gaikwad's injury, a batting-friendly pitch and a struggling Sri Lankan bowling attack. He, however, also praised the youngster for showing his power, remarking that the Indian team management would be pleased with the performance.
Jaffer said:
"He needed that game. He was lucky that Ruturaj got injured just before the game and he could play that knock. I think Sri Lanka helped him by bowling short and wide. The surface as well, the Lucknow pitch was the ideal batting pitch. The ground was big but I think Sri Lanka bowled him a bit wide and short and he made full use of it."
He added:
"And full credit to him. Such a short guy and he packs a solid punch. On such a big ground as well, he hit some massive sixes, he hits the ball so hard. He'll be very, very pleased. I think the Indian camp will be very, very pleased because they showed a lot of faith and he grabbed this opportunity with both hands."
Wasim Jaffer was also pleased to see Shreyas Iyer's performance. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain, who has been in and out of the team of late, took charge with a spunky 28-ball 57 after Kishan's dismissal. The former opener said:
"Because we've got such a bench strength, especially in batting, anybody who gets a game has to make the most of it otherwise there are players in the waiting."
He added:
"Shreyas, obviously, keeps making those performances and I think it was very, very important for him to get a game and play an innings like that as well for his own confidence as well. He played outstandingly well, hit some massive sixes and that's something which he can do. He can bat No. 3, No. 4 and I am pleased to see him strike the ball so sweetly."
SL: No KL, Virat, Pant, Sky. Ind total won't be that high.
Meanwhile Indian total: #INDvSL https://t.co/anMUUgcVRX
Iyer batted at No. 3 as a replacement for Virat Kohli, who's on a break from international cricket. The 27-year-old is currently competing with Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav for the middle-order spots. He will want to make a mark in the remaining two T20Is as well.
Need to see this kind of team more often: Wasim Jaffer
That's that from the 1st T20I.
#TeamIndia win by 62 runs and go 1-0 up in the three-match series.
Scorecard - bit.ly/INDvSL-1STT20I #INDvSL @Paytm https://t.co/S2EoR9yesm
Further, Wasim Jaffer also opined on India's strategy of using seven bowlers in the match. He believes skipper Rohit Sharma could use seven bowlers because it was a "perfect game." He said:
"Seven bowling options is something we don't see a lot of time... He (Rohit Sharma) could use Deepak Hooda and Venkatesh Iyer because of the game we had. We kind of had the perfect game, apart from the couple of catches we dropped, I think we played the perfect game... I think we need to see this kind of team with more bowling options where the batters can bowl [more often], it certainly gives the captain a lot more options in tough situations."
The second T20I will commence at 7:00 pm IST on Saturday in Dharamsala.