"Let's not confuse T20Is with the IPL" - Aakash Chopra on Ishan Kishan's underwhelming numbers in T20I cricket
Aakash Chopra has highlighted that Ishan Kishan cannot be expected to excel in T20I cricket just because he has a good record in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Kishan has aggregated 33 runs in his two innings in the ongoing T20I series between India and the West Indies. He was dropped from the side for the third T20I, with Yashasvi Jaiswal opening the batting instead of him.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that Kishan's travails in T20I cricket are similar to Suryakumar Yadav's in ODIs. He stated:
"Suryakumar Yadav is not the only one who is stuck. Ishan Kishan has also had difficulties. He has scored a double century in ODI cricket as an opener but he hasn't fired in T20Is. Let's not confuse T20Is with the IPL."
The former Indian opener pointed out that the Mumbai Indians opener's impressive record in the IPL does not guarantee him success in T20I cricket. He explained:
"In the IPL, you have a long season of 14 matches, if you bat at the top of the order and are an important player, like Ishan Kishan is for the Mumbai Indians, your place is secured and you keep on playing in one way. You know that there are a lot of matches. So you find your rhythm at some stage."
Kishan has amassed 872 runs at an average of 31.14 and a strike rate of 130.93 in the last two seasons of the IPL. He hasn't been able to replicate those performances in T20I cricket, having scored 686 runs at an average of 24.50 and a strike rate of 121.63 in 29 games.
"Your place is not yet fully secured" - Aakash Chopra on Ishan Kishan's issues in T20Is
Aakash Chopra highlighted that Ishan Kishan is still fighting for a place in India's T20I side and does not get frequent chances to secure that spot. He observed:
"However, when you play T20Is, one series comes in three months. If you don't start well in that series, suddenly you start thinking because the number of matches is limited and your place is not yet fully secured, someone or the other is waiting behind you."
The reputed commentator added that the dashing wicketkeeper-batter seemed to be following a slightly more conservative approach in the two T20Is he has played against the Windies. He elaborated:
"So if someone is waiting and there is pressure on you, sometimes you tend to forget what your template was. If you see the current series, he played only two matches, he has more than 50% dot balls. Ishan Kishan didn't use to play so many dot balls."
However, Chopra expects Kishan to resolve his issues in T20I cricket. He reasoned that he is young, has time on his side, and T20 cricket flows in his veins.