Dinesh Karthik on Ishan Kishan: You Want Somebody Like That At The Top

Ishan Kishan was brilliant on debut for India in the second T20I of the series against England on Sunday (March 14). The young left-hand batsman struck 56 runs off just 32 balls to help India win by seven wickets in Ahmedabad and level the five-match series 1-1.

Also Read: How Ishan Kishan came of age

Kishan, who came into the side as India dropped veteran opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan, also became only the second Indian batsman after Ajinkya Rahane to score a fifty on his T20I debut. He batted magnificently in partnership with skipper Virat Kohli and looked in great control despite the pressure of the run-chase.

Dinesh Karthik spoke of Ishan Kishan’s innings on India debut in the second T20I versus England.

Dinesh Karthik, the experienced Indian wicketkeeper batsman, spoke on Sky Sports about Kishan’s innings and while praising him, pointed out what makes 22-year-old Jharkhand batsman so special.

“His ability to trust himself to hit those big six irrespective of the ball being bowled is what sets him apart and 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. He put pressure from ball one on Jofra,” said Karthik.

Karthik also heaped praise on Indian bowlers for their performance on the night, especially at the death, as India restricted England to just 164/6 in the first half.

“[Impressed by] just how clever they were towards the back end of the innings,” he said. “Just bowling cutters. The fastest bowler on display was Washington. The off-spinner seemed to bowl a lot faster balls and the fast bowlers seemed to bowl a lot of off cutters. So, they were very clever about it, they had good game plans and the wicket helped them in abundance.”

Toss a crucial factor: Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik stressed on the toss factor in the ongoing T20I series.

Dinesh Karthik was sitting alongside England speedster Stuart Broad. The wicketkeeper batsman stressed how the toss has been a crucial factor in the outcome of the first two matches of this series. The surfaces used in Ahmedabad have tended to initially play slow because of the dryness before the dew has quickened them up in the latter half. Thus, making it easier for the team chasing.

“I think both the captains, in spite of the batting, need to practice a lot about winning tosses. I think that’s going to be a critical factor. 6:30 seems to be the time a lot is decided,” said Karthik on the matter.

Even captain Virat Kohli admitted in the post-match interview that it was slightly easier to bat while chasing but Broad said that doesn’t take anything away from the quality of Indian batsmanship.

“It did look like batting a little bit easier but that doesn’t take anything away from the style of the cricket shots that were played. It was beautiful to watch, to be honest, and that’s quite hard to say as an England player and an England fan,” he said.

The third T20I of the series will be played on Tuesday (March 16).

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