South Africa defeated India by seven wickets in the first T20I at Delhi. Although India’s performance could have been better, there were still a few positives from the game for the hosts. One of them was the performance of Ishan Kishan. In this article, we take a look at Gautam Gambhir’s reaction to Ishan Kishan’s terrific display in the first India vs South Africa T20I.
Ishan Kishan did well in first India vs South Africa T20I
Batting first, Ishan Kishan made 76 runs from 48 deliveries to help India post a total of 211. Although he looked to be struggling at the start, the Mumbai Indians cricketer made amends later on. He was, especially, brutal against the spinners and helped India maintain the run-rate during the middle overs.
Gautam Gambhir was all praises for the 23-year-old for his performance. While speaking to Star Sports after the game, Gambhir said, “He is that type of a batter as well. He is dangerous and this was probably the reason why Mumbai Indians bought him at such a huge price at the auction. From this, you come to know that you have come after playing 14 consecutive T20 matches to a small ground with a good pitch and a fast outfield and the way Ishan Kishan batted.”
The former India cricketer continued, “The best thing that was seen in Ishan was that if probably there was some other player when he had gotten an over with 20 runs, he might have thought of taking a single and then taking chances in the next over. But he wanted to convert that 20 runs to 26 runs. This is the batting you want to see in T20 cricket, you call this selfless batting.”
The southpaw needs to retain the form
At the moment, Ishan Kishan is the first name on the list when it comes to the reserve openers list in T20Is. However, there is intense competition for the role. That said, him being a left-hander is a massive advantage. Nevertheless, the Jharkand cricketer must do well in order to confirm his spot for the 2022 T20 World Cup.
