Following Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) win over Rajasthan Royals (RR), SRH batter Ishan Kishan reflected on leading the side in the absence of a returning Pat Cummins and also said that his best as a batter is yet to come. Cummins returned to IPL action after an injury layoff, but that did not change Ishan’s consistent run-scoring ways during this calendar year, as he scored a masterful 31-ball 74, with 11 fours and three sixes. Having led as a captain in the absence of Cummins, he anchored his side’s chase of 229 runs with the bat.
During the post-match presentation, he said on captaining in the first half of the season, ” It was quite fun leading the side for seven games, and Pat coming in, giving us that extra bowling power. So I was really happy when he was coming in the team anyway because he’s such a tremendous captain anyway. So I was just thinking about my batting and wicket-keeping more than leadership.”
On batting fearlessly, Kishan said that one has to keep playing his shots and not fear failure. Reflecting on the Jofra Archer bouncer that hit his helmet and went straight to the ropes for a six, Kishan said that the ball bounced extra than expected.
“I am happy to get six runs out of this. Sometimes, I think fortune favors the brave. So you just have to watch the ball and keep on going. I think that was a good learning session for me,” he added.
On the run-chase, he continued that the team felt quite calm, and the important thing was having a good power play.
“Having Head and Abhishek as an opener, they make the job pretty easier for the rest of the batsmen, even if they bat for four overs. So I was just batting with them, communicating with Abhishek. He was well aware of the game, what was happening, what run rate was going on. So I was just playing my shots and we both, did a great partnership in the middle, which helped our team,” he added.
Lastly, on if this is the best he is batting, Ishan said, “No, I think my best is yet to come.”
Ishan is the second-highest T20 run-getter this year, with 844 runs in 21 innings at an average of 40.19 and a strike rate of 203.86, including a century and seven fifties. Before this, he was sensational for India in their T20 World Cup triumph, scoring 317 runs in nine innings at an average of 35.22 and a strike rate of 193.22, including three fifties and best score of 77.
On the other hand, the Orange Cap holder Abhishek Sharma said that he felt it was a “lucky day” for him with the bat. Speaking on facing bowlers like Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger, he said he wanted to make some room for himself and trouble their line and lengths a bit.
“Once you achieve this kind of score and the way the team is playing, the top batters are performing in those powerplays, and the way the bowling side is coming back after that powerplay, I think it is a sign of a winning side probably. And I mean, you can feel that confidence in the team when we are even chatting and just sitting at the dressing room,” he said reflecting on the confidence achieved from the win.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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