WI v IND 2023: “To come in as Pant’s replacement is a big ask,” Saba Karim impressed with Ishan Kishan’s keeping and batting

Ishan Kishan did well with the bat and as a keeper in his debut Test series against West Indies.

After doing well in white-ball cricket for the last two seasons, India’s wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan finally made his Test debut against the West Indies during the recently-concluded series.

On debut, the southpaw scored 1 not out off 20 balls in India’s only innings and he impressed everyone with his keeping against the likes of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja when the ball was turning and bouncing in Dominica.

In the second Test at Queen’s Park Oval, Kishan proved his mettle with the bat as he slammed a dazzling half-century. The southpaw was promoted to bat at No. 4 and he didn’t let his team down, scoring 52 not out off 34 balls before the visitors declared their second innings on 181/2 to set a massive target of 365 for West Indies.

Impressed with his exploits, former India cricketer Saba Karim said that Ishan Kishan has earned the trust of skipper Rohit Sharma and the Indian team management with his impressive exploits.

“To come in as a replacement to Rishabh Pant is a big ask and we saw what happened to KS Bharat although he was tested out in fine conditions in Australia. His glove work improved as he played more Test matches," Karim said while speaking on Jio Cinema.

“But I think Ishan, when he was picked he realised very well that he be behind the stump but also score runs with the willow and I think in both these aspects done quite well and there is a constant improvement," he added.

Commenting on Kishan’s keeping, Saba Karim stated: “We saw that in the first Test match at times, it seemed that he was not able to collect the balls properly, especially against R Ashwin and Jadeja. He has done a lot of homework and he has come back in a much stronger way in the second Test match."

“Plus to see him being promoted, given that responsibility and again to see him back with so much freedom goes to show that in this WTC cycle, Rohit Sharma and company have decided to go ahead with Ishan Kishan because they can provide them with those kind of runs in a brisk manner," he further remarked.

India clinched the two-match series 1-0 after rain played spoilsport on the fifth and final day of the second Test to deny the tourists a clean sweep.