Veteran India off-spinner R Ashwin heaped rich praise on young keeper-batter Ishan Kishan and called him an outstanding person without an iota of negativity. Kishan recently made his Test debut for India on the ongoing West Indies tour.
He made his ODI and T20I debut in 2021 and so far has played 17 ODIs and 29 T20Is for India and has the highest score of 210 in a 50-over game against Bangladesh. He was the youngest to hit an ODI double ton and the first player to convert a maiden ODI century into a double century.
In the recent ODI series against West Indies, he hit three consecutive fifties including a knock of 77 in the third and final ODI to help India put on 351/5. He was given the Player of the Series award for his exploits with the bat.
“Whenever Ishan Kishan has gotten opportunities in the white-ball formats, he has used them well. Even in the last Test match when he got an opportunity to bat higher up the order, he scored a quick-fire half-century. Ishan Kishan has been a wonderful kid," Ashwin said in his YouTube show.
"If any player is playing, he will first take the gloves of the player and be ready. He will arrange their bats if they require a change at any point. He will make all the players feel comfortable around him. He will entertain all the players in the dressing room.
He doesn't have one negative energy in his body. He is the embodiment of positivity. He always has a smile on his face. He has a great attitude. I feel so happy whenever he makes use of the opportunities he gets," he added.
Ishan Kishan is being looked at as the third opener and potentially the second wicketkeeper in the Indian World Cup squad. And if KL Rahul, who is considered to be the first-choice stumper, doesn’t recover from his injury, Kishan might get chances in the first XI as well.
