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Following his match-winning maiden T20I century for India against New Zealand in the fifth and final T20I, Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan admitted that his focus is firmly on the T20 World Cup to put in that "extra effort" and added how batting alongside a fiery Abhishek Sharma helps him.
Ishan has completed a redemption for the ages. From being left out of the central contract in 2024 to winning the maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Jharkhand and coming back into the Indian side for the T20 World Cup and NZ series, it has been quite a journey for Ishan. With Sanju now struggling with 46 runs in five innings of this series, Ishan's 215 runs in these four innings at an average of 53.75 and a strike rate of over 231, including a century and fifty, have more or less solidified him as first-choice wicketkeeper/opener ahead of Samson for the World Cup. Speaking during the post-match presentation, Ishan spoke on being inspired by Abhishek's intent, saying that seeing his intent, he is able to understand the team's needs as far as momentum is concerned and plays accordingly. "I felt the ball was doing a bit early on, but batting alongside Abhishek Sharma really helps. You see his intent, you understand the momentum the team needs, and then you just try to watch the ball and play accordingly. That approach worked well for me today," he said. Ishan also shed some light on how the team does not look at personal milestones anymore and there is no slowing down for it when a ball is there to be hit. "I still feel I am not there yet (at his best). Yes, I have done well and I am getting these awards, but my focus is firmly on the World Cup. That is where the extra effort is needed. What is important is carrying this form forward and continuing to contribute there," he concluded. In the match, India won the toss and chose to bat first. While Sanju fell to a single-digit score, Abhishek Sharma (30 in 16 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) also fell, leaving India at 48/2. A 137-run stand between Ishan Kishan (103 in 43 balls, with six fours and 10 sixes) and skipper Suryakumar Yadav (63 in 30 balls, with four boundaries and six sixes) enthralled the audience. Later on, a cameo from Hardik Pandya (42 in 17 balls, with a four and four sixes) took India to 271/5 in 20 overs. Lockie Ferguson (2/41) was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand, while Jacob Duffy (1/53), Kyle Jamieson (1/59) and Mitchell Santner (1/60) leaked runs. In the run-chase, after Kiwis lost Tim Seifert early, a century stand between Allen (80 in 38 balls, with eight fours and six sixes) and Rachin Ravindra (30 in 17 balls, with two fours and two sixes) threatened to make India sweat. However, Arshdeep Singh (5/51) and Axar Patel (3/33) ripped apart the Kiwi middle-order and they were skittled out for 225 runs after being 191/9 at one point. (ANI)
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