Kishan played a blistering knock of 125 in just 79 balls during the second ODI against Afghanistan.
Impressed with his performance, former cricketer Mohammad Kaif has made a bold statement on the southpaw, who batted at No. 3 and 4 in the Afghanistan series.
According to Kaif, India head coach Gautam Gambhir likes Kishan and once he identifies a player with potential, he provides them with an extended run in the team.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif also cited examples of Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana to back his claim.
"If Gambhir likes someone, Gambhir will be adamant about it then. He likes Ishan Kishan. Whenever he plays, he will get a long backing. Look at how much he has backed Sundar. Sundar even played a Test match ahead of Ashwin. He has backed Harshit as well. People can tell whatever they want. But he has this quality. If he recognises a player, he will stand for them. Whether the decision goes right or wrong is a different debate. But he has a strong opinion and will convince the captain to have those players," Kaif said.
Kaif also highlighted the backing of young pacer Harshit by Gambhir amidst chatter of favoritism.
"Look at Harshit, at the start he could not bat but he was always in the team as an all-rounder. He scored a fifty in his last ODI right? So the decision proved to be right there. If the players do not score at the start, we say look who Gambhir is selecting and this and that and he has to face the criticism. But with time, the same players do well, which has happened in Harshit's case as well. He has the ability to become an all-rounder and he has shown glimpses," he explained.
On a different note, Mohammad Kaif strongly backed Shubman Gill to make a comeback in the T20I team. By drawing parallels to Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, Kaif emphasized that Gill has the potential to become a "giant of the game."
"Gill will become an all-format player. It's okay that he got dropped. No problem. He focused very well in the IPL. Many people do not do well under that pressure. But when he was dropped, he had it in his mind in the IPL. It is a big quality that he looked forward and not behind, great players do that. He has learnt to do well as a captain with the bowlers, he is scoring runs as well. I am sure 100% that he has playing for India in T20Is in his mind. Ishan Kishan also made a comeback right? Gill will also become an all-format player and a giant of the game. He is on the path of Sachin and Virat," Kaif remarked.