Ishan Kishan‘s golden run continues. The left-handed batter smashed his maiden T20I century on Saturday as he went past the three-figure mark in the fifth and final match against New Zealand at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. This knock came on the same day when Sanju Samson failed yet again, scoring just six runs as an opener. The series against the Black Caps has been quite contrasting for Sanju and Ishan, and the latter is making a strong case to start the T20 World Cup ahead of the former.
After being ruled out of the fourth T20I due to a last-minute niggle, Kishan made his way back into the playing XI for the final international match for India ahead of the T20 World Cup, which begins on February 7. Kishan, 27, was slow off the blocks as he looked to find his feet in the middle.
However, slowly and steadily, he got his eye in, and it was not long before he started to unleash big shots. The left-hander took just 28 balls to reach his fifty. Upon reaching the milestone, Kishan went all out against Ish Sodhi in the 12th over, hitting him for 29 runs.
The New Zealand skipper, Mitchell Santner, was left scratching his head for answers, and there was just no stopping Kishan. The young batter from Jharkhand eventually brought up his maiden T20I century in the 17th over of the game, bowled by Sodhi.
After reaching the milestone, Ishan just soaked in the applause of the Thiruvananthapuram crowd. He removed his helmet and jumped around, and it was quite fitting that his close friend Hardik Pandya was at the other end. The duo hugged it out, and the entire Indian support staff was on their feet.
Throughout the five-match series against New Zealand, Kishan has been miles ahead of Samson in terms of giving performances. The Kerala batter has looked all at sea, returning with scores of 10, 6, 0, 24 and 6. On the other hand, Kishan, who earned his place back in the T20I playing XI after more than two years, set the stage on fire, returning with scores of 8, 76, 28 and 103 in the first three matches.
Kishan making a case to be undroppable
This century, in the final T20I against New Zealand, has only led to chatter about Kishan starting ahead of Samson in India’s opening World Cup match against Namibia at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 7.
Speaking of Kishan, he earned his place in the T20I squad following a 500+ run plus season in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he captained Jharkhand to a title win.
The left-handed batter was eventually dismissed for 103 off 43 balls by Jacob Duffy. His innings was studded with six fours and 10 sixes. However, he did the job, and it would be no understatement to say that he has made himself indispensable in the playing XI for the World Cup.
