Earlier this month, Ishan Kishan created history as he became the fourth Indian batter to slam a double century in the 50-over format in the ongoing third ODI against Bangladesh at Chattogram.
The southpaw came into the side after skipper Rohit Sharma got ruled out of the final ODI with a thumb injury and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
Opening the innings, Kishan batted aggressively right from the word go to put the opposition bowlers under pressure. The 24-year-old slammed his maiden ODI century in 85 balls and went on to make a daddy hundred (210 off 131 balls) before being dismissed.
With this knock, the swashbuckling left-hander has strengthened his claims of opening the batting for India at the ODI World Cup next year.
According to former Australia pacer Brett Lee, Kishan should be a sure-shot opener for the Men in Blue in the showpiece tournament, slated to be held in India in October-November next year.
"With this deadly double, Ishan has staked a strong claim to open for India in the ODI World Cup at home in 2023. Will this happen? I don't know. Should it happen? Hell yeah it should. The guy just scored the fastest 200 in ODI history. But if he can show consistency, stay fit, and be around the next few months, he should be a sure-shot opener for India at the World Cup," said Lee while speaking on his YouTube channel
Lee also suggested the Indian team management to back Ishan Kishan with an eye on the future.
"Back Ishan to make it in the World Cup squad with an eye on the future and clearly, he would be on a high after that knock as he should be. However, a word of caution. Too much praise had led to cobwebs in the head. So my advice to Ishan Kishan would be... forget about the milestone, forget about the double hundred as soon as you can. There are bigger milestones to achieve, higher peaks to scale. Ishan Kishan has to forget about the euphoria of his double hundred. Just focus on the process, stay fit and keep smashing big runs," he added.
During his blazing double ton, Kishan was involved in a 290-run partnership with Virat Kohli, who scored 113 off 91 balls
Brett Lee also appreciated the camaraderie between Ishan and Kohli.
"I am a little late in reacting to this, but as they say... better late than never. What we saw just a few days ago from Ishan Kishan was truly amazing. Bangladesh had no answer. The fastest double-hundred in ODI history, that's right. 210 runs off just 132 balls... 24 fours and 10 massive sixes. A ferocious knock with shots all around the dial. Unbelievable batting, he could have easily got a triple hundred as well. It helped that he had the master Virat Kohli at the other end. What I loved about the innings was not just Ishan Kishan's shot-making but Kohli's reaction when Ishan ran the 200th run. What a great spirit and camaraderie between the two," he concluded.
