Ishan Kishan has stressed that he isn’t thinking about the T20 World Cup in 2024 after his Player Of The Series performance against West Indies in the three ODIs.
The series was a testament to Kishan’s prowess as he consistently delivered strong performances, contributing significantly to India’s victory. The left-handed batter scored 184 runs in the series at an average of 61.33.
In the third and final ODI match of the series, Kishan showcased his aggressive batting style, scoring a quickfire 77 off just 64 deliveries. This was his third consecutive half-century in the series, a feat that places him among a select group of Indian players who have achieved this milestone in a bilateral three-game ODI series.
His partnership with Shubman Gill was particularly noteworthy, with the duo amassing an impressive opening stand of 143 runs, setting a solid foundation for India’s massive score of 351/5.
India would end up winning the match by 200 runs and Kishan was rightfully adjudged as the player of the series. Speaking at the post-match presentation, as quoted by Cricbuzz, the wicketkeeper admitted that he wasn’t happy with the finishing he gave and revealed that the senior players told him that he should have stayed in and scored big.
“Not so happy with the finishing that I gave. I was supposed to score big after being set. That’s what my seniors told me, I should’ve stayed in and scored big. That’s what I’ll try next time, I’ll get set in the middle and score big. It’s important at this level to get set. It’s important to forget the last game and start from 0. I was thinking of taking it one ball at a time,” said Kishan.
Kishan also commented on his opening partner Gill and said that his timing of the ball gives him a lot of confidence in the middle.
“He’s a tremendous player, I’ve seen how he middles the ball. Seeing him hitting it out of the middle gives me a lot of confidence as well. Always important to win at this level, the learnings from these games are important. We were looking to get early wickets, and didn’t let any ball go. Everyone is looking very positive,” said Kishan.
With the T20 World Cup set to be hosted by West Indies and the USA in 2024, Kishan will be a contender to make it to the squad on the back of his top performance in the recently-concluded series.
However, the 25-year-old isn’t thinking too far ahead and said he is looking at the upcoming tournaments.
“I’ve played a few tournaments here and I know how the wickets play here, not really thinking about the next T20 world cup. Focussing on the upcoming tournaments, you know how one tournament can change your life. We’re just focussing on that now,” said Kishan.
