Ishan Kishan slammed 89 off 56 balls in the T20I series opener against Sri Lanka.
Opening the innings, the southpaw smashed 89 off 56 balls (10 fours and 3 sixes) to lay the foundation for hosts’ mammoth 199/2 in 20 overs. In the process, he forged a 111-run stand with skipper Rohit Sharma (44) at the top and followed it with a 44-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer (57* off 28 balls).
WATCH – Jadeja celebrates Chandimal’s wicket with ‘Thaggedhe Le’ gesture from Pushpa movie
Speaking after the match, captain Rohit said he was extremely pleased to witness Kishan's scintillating knock from the other end.
"I know Ishan for a long time now. I know the mindset he has. I know the ability he has as well. It was just about getting the kind of game that he had today. It was so pleasing to watch from the other end. The way he constructed the innings was so good, that is usually his problem. It was not about coming and hitting the ball, it was also about finding the gaps," said Sharma in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Rohit Sharma was also happy with the comeback of Ravindra Jadeja after recovering from an injury and hinted that the latter might get a promotion in the batting order in upcoming matches.
On his return, Jadeja scored 3 off 4 balls and finished with the impressive figures of 1/28 in his four overs.
"Very happy with Jadeja's return. We want more from him that is why we asked him to bat higher. You will see that happening more and more in the games that he plays for India. I want him to bat up the order more. He is a very improved batter, so we will try and see if we can promote him going forward. We are very clear with what we want to achieve with him in white ball cricket."
Sharma, however, expressed concern about lapses in fielding. Apart from a couple of mis-fields, India also spilled two catches during Sri Lanka’s chase.
"I love playing in big grounds because that's where you are tested as a batter. Here you got to use a bit of batsmanship as well. In Kolkata you can just time the ball for a six. We are dropping a few catches, which is not expected at this level. I guess our fielding coach (T Dilip) has some work to do. We want to be the best fielding side in Australia."
With this victory, India took a 1-0 lead in the three-T20I series. The remaining two T20Is will be held in Dharamsala on February 26 and February 27.
(With IANS inputs)