"He was trying, it was not like he was not trying" - Deep Dasgupta on Ishan Kishan's scratchy innings in 1st T20I vs West Indies
Former India wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta feels Ishan Kishan had an off day with the bat in the first T20I against the West Indies. The 24-year-old struggled to time the ball right from the start and perished for 35 off 42 deliveries.
Kishan was slotted at the top of the order ahead of Ruturaj Gaikwad in the absence of KL Rahul. Chasing a target of 158, the former U-19 skipper had a hard time connecting with the ball. He scored four boundaries, but never looked comfortable at the crease and eventually holed out to the deep in the twelfth over.
Ishan Kishan's 35(42) is the slowest knock by an Indian in T20i's facing a minimum of 40 balls.
Noting that Kishan will improve with experience and maturity, Dasgupta said on his YouTube channel:
"Kishan just had one of those days with the bat. He was trying, it was not like he was not trying. Either the shots were finding the fielders or he was not finding the middle of the bat."
Dasgupta added:
"Sometimes what happens is that when you're trying too hard, you don't find the middle of the bat. That, I think he will learn with experience and maturity. It is important how he manages such days. So, not the usual Ishan Kishan innings, but it's alright.''
The wicket-keeper batter was the highest purchase at the recently concluded IPL auction. Mumbai Indians (MI) secured his services for an astronomical sum of INR 15.25 crore.
Kishan never got to feel the pressure of the run chase despite a patchy innings as Rohit Sharma was in full flow at the other end. The Indian skipper scored a quickfire 40 off 19 deliveries to set the platform for the middle order.
Terming Sharma's knock as "sublime," Dasgupta said:
"Rohit's innings was sublime. He never looks out of form. Even if he scores 10, 20, or 30, he always looks in form The 55 runs in the first 5 overs helped a lot in chasing down the score. The score was slightly below par by about 15 runs. I thought 170-175 should have been made on this pitch."
The Hitman's love affair with Eden Gardens continued with his outing in the first T20I. The 34-year-old has excelled in all formats at the venue ranging from the IPL to Test cricket.
"Don't think KL Rahul is an option for the middle order in T20s" - Deep Dasgupta
KL Rahul was ruled out of the ongoing T20I series against the West Indies due to injury. While he has been heavily considered a middle-order batter in ODIs, he has largely opened the innings in domestic and international matches in the shortest format. He has only played at No. 4 on four occasions for Team India in T20Is.
Feeling that KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma are the first-choice opening pair for India, Dasgupta said:
"Don't think KL Rahul is an option for the middle order in T20s. KL Rahul is such a player, who can effortlessly play with a strike rate in excess of 140. "
Dasgupta concluded:
"When fit and available, he should partner Rohit Sharma at the top. But the change in the mindset, that's important. KL Rahul is as good as anyone in world cricket. Ideally, he should open the innings."
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Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have had tremendous success opening together in T20Is for the team. The pair have put on 1535 runs across 27 innings since 2016 at an average of 59.03.