Belligerent and uncomplicated — pocket-dynamite Kishan is here to stay Premium

Ishan Kishan's explosive performance solidifies his place as India's preferred wicketkeeper-batter for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

A little after 7.30 p.m. on Saturday in Thiruvananthapuram, chants of ‘Ishaaaan, Ishan’ rang around the Greenfield International Stadium as everyone packing the stands roared as one in approbation. After an uncharacteristically tepid start, Ishan Kishan had started to find his bearings, manifesting his aggression with a four and a six, through and over the off-side, off successive deliveries from Lockie Ferguson, who had accounted for both Indian wickets to fall at that stage.

What’s the big deal, you say? An Indian crowd cheering an Indian batter at an Indian venue? Isn’t that how it always has been?

But yes, this was a big deal. Here’s why.

One of the two wickets in the pocket of Ferguson, the tearaway Kiwi playing his first match of the T20I series, was that of Sanju Samson, hometown hero bar none, the toast of God’s own country, the man who can do no wrong even when he is exasperatingly infuriating with the bat.

Samson had just 40 runs in four outings coming into the final match, and desperately needed a score of substance to stay ahead of Kishan in the race to the wicketkeeper-batter/opener’s slot at the T20 World Cup, now not even a week away.

But the 31-year-old right-hander who has allowed glaring technical shortcomings to infest his game — what are head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak doing?? – courted another failure, caught at deep third-man trying to work an awayswinger from outside off to the on-side and only managing a leading edge. His contribution this time was a princely six runs, of which four came off an aerial outside edge that flew through untenanted short third-man and to the boundary in the second over.