In the opening T20I of the three-match series against the West Indies on Wednesday, Rohit Sharma opened the innings with youngster Ishan Kishan. Ishan battled to keep the scoreboard ticking throughout his stay at the crease and was dismissed on 35 off 42 balls, while the Indian captain hit a fast 40 off only 19 deliveries.
In his innings, Ishan, a naturally aggressive batsman, battled with timing and shot selection, and Rohit acknowledged the youngster's bad performance.
"We want to make sure he doesn't go in with too much pressure around him so it is our job to make sure that whenever he steps in, he is quite comfortable,” Rohit had said in the post-match presentation.
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Ishan Kishan is "not a bad option," according to former India cricketer Parthiv Patel, but senior batter KL Rahul will be India's first-choice opener when the team competes in the T20 World Cup 2022 later this year.
“KL Rahul is a long-term opening option for me. When Rahul returns to the team, I think he will open the innings with Rohit. Personally, I feel he will open with Rohit in the T20 World Cup," Parthiv said on Cricbuzz.
“Ishan Kishan is not a bad option when he is in rhythm. When he is in the right mindspace, he allows Rohit to take a bit of time. But I think it will be Rahul and Rohit at the World Cup.”
KL Rahul batted in the middle of the order in the recently concluded ODI series against the West Indies, while Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma started the innings. Due to the absence of Shikhar Dhawan from the T20I squad, Rahul developed an opening partnership with Rohit at last year's T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE.
Parthiv went on to say regarding Ishan's performance in the first T20I that the 23-year-old batsman was "trying to hit the ball too hard."
“Ishan Kishan was trying to hit the ball too hard instead of timing it. When he was playing cross-batted strokes, he was using the bottom hand so much that the face of the bat was closing. Instead, he could have shown some patience and played a few shots with a straight bat. But it just did not happen for him on the day,” said the former India wicketkeeper.
