India spin legend Harbhajan Singh has lavished high praise on wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, predicting him to become a future star. Ishan is a former India U19 captain who made his international debut last year and has since played three ODIs and five T20Is.
Ishan will be a big draw at the IPL 2022 mega auction set to be held this weekend in Bengaluru. Known for his big-hitting, the 23-year-old is also rated for his leadership skills having led India to U19 WC final in 2016.
Harbahajan says on any given day, Ishan has the talent to belt 70-80 runs in 30 deliveries.
“I am a fan of Ishan Kishan,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel. “He has the capability to hit 70-80 runs off 30 balls on any given day. He will become a big player in future. A player of his skill should be given responsibility. With age, he will grow and become a good captain too. To me, he would be a good captaincy option.”
Harbhajan added that Royal Challengers Bangalore could also bid for Ishan and groom him for captaincy but he won’t be surprised if Virat Kohli is convinced to lead the franchise again. Kohli had stepped down from the role post IPL 2021.
“Virat Kohli may have to end up leading RCB again,” Harbhajan said. “There’s no better option. But will Kohli be ready for it? This will be a big challenge. But I won’t be surprised if he agrees to lead RCB for one or two years. At the same time, they can groom someone younger to lead them. Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer are good options.”
