Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.
Venue – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy [September 2, 2023].
The BCCI has announced the 15-man squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup. Interestingly, the hosts are also the defending champions, so the stakes are high. As a result, it is important to field the strongest team. One weak player can end our ambitions of lifting the trophy again. Fortunately enough, the team announced by the selectors on 20th December is quite a remarkable team which has the potential to lift the cup once again. The players selected have been consistently performing well in both the domestic and international stages. However, out of 15 players, the name which surprised as well as made people happy was the inclusion of wicketkeeper batsman Ishan Kishan in the squad.
Ishan Kishan has been out of the Indian team for almost 2 years now. What started as a punishment for indiscipline ended up becoming a career-ending move for the young batsman from Bihar. However, his memorable performance in the domestic circuit spoke volumes for him, and the selectors picked him over Rishabh Pant and Jitesh Sharma.
Ishan Kishan's inclusion is a positive move, as in the past he has performed in pressure situations. In this blog post I will be talking about one such match. The Men in Blue were facing their arch-rivals Pakistan in the group stage of the Asia Cup, 2023. Indian Captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bat first on what looked like a good wicket.
However, the Men in Green pushed the Indians on the back foot as they blew away the Indian top order in no time. The scorecard read 66/4 when Hardik Pandya joined Ishan Kishan in between. One more wicket and the game would have been done and dusted for us. The game was on a knife-edge.
But this is when Ishan played one of his finest ODI knocks, as he scored a magnificent 82 off 81 deliveries. In an innings which lasted for around 2 hours, Kishan hammered 9 boundaries and 2 massive sixes. Along with Hardik, he stitched a partnership of 138 runs and brought Indians back into the game. Interestingly, after Ishan's dismissal, Hardik continued the carnage as he too scored a brilliant 87 off 90 balls. The Men in Blue were eventually bowled out for 266 runs in 48.5 overs, as the Pakistanis required 267 to win the match.
Unfortunately, due to incessant rain, the match could not continue further, and both teams were awarded a point. However, Ishan's performance was praised by all. The skill to bat in tough conditions is what makes batsmen great. It is expected that next month when we take on Pakistan in the 2026 World T20 in Sri Lanka, Ishan and Hardik will continue their same form.
To watch the Highlights of that Match, Click Here.
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