IND vs AUS: "Ishan Kishan Has Sealed His Spot In The Middle-Order" - Sunil Gavaskar

Ishan Kishan’s batting in the middle-order was one of the biggest positives for India in their Asia Cup title win reckons Sunil Gavaskar. The Indian team won their eighth Asia Cup title win by beating Sri Lanka in the final.

India bundled out Sri Lanka for just 50 and won the match in 6.1 overs. Kihan was unbeaten on 23 and Shubman Gill unbeten on 27. However, the match was headlined by Mohammed Siraj‘s spell of 6/21. He broke a plethora of records in the process as he entered the history books.

Meanwhile, Gavaskar was very vocal about Ishan Kishan’s performance in the middle-order against Pakistan. He scored 82 off 81 deliveries batting at number five in the rained-out game against Pakistan. Hardik Pandya batting at six scored a crucial 87 as the dup added a 138-run stand.

Talking to India Today, Gavaskar credited Kishan for owning the number five slot in this Asia Cup. He said that Kishan being a left-hander will also give him an edge over someone like Shreyas Iyer who played just one match in the Asia Cup and has been battling a back injury.

“Definitely (sealed his spot in middle-order), also gives you a left-handed option in the middle. India don’t have a left-hander at the top 4 and then Hardik Pandya. Ishan Kishan at No. 5 makes a lot of sense,” Gavaskar told India Today.

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The former Indian skipper said that Kishan being an opening batsman made the necessary adjustment while batting in the middle-order which has been one of the hallmarks of his game.

“This is the beauty of being an opening batter. An opening bat can also slot himself down in the middle-order. It’s not easy the other way around. Ishan Kishan has shown, particularly with the way he kept his composure, the way he handled against Pakistan and got those 80-odd runs shows that he is not somebody who likes to go out and play his shots but he is somebody who applies his mind, reads the situation and plays accordingly,” he further added.

Ishan Kishan Showed Admirable Patience Against Pakistan: Sunil Gavaskar

Gavaskar further lauded Kishan’s innings of 82 against Pakistan saying that he showed the required patience he needed to at the start against Pakistan.

“He showed admirable patience against the Pakistanis at the start, he made sure the danger was seen away. He hung around with Hardik Pandya and then started to play his shots. That is really a very, very encouraging sign because for somebody as young as him, to show the temperament he showed in that particular game means that he has a bright future ahead of him,” Gavaskar concluded.

Kisha will now be in direct competition with Shreyas Iyer for the number four slot in the middle-order. Iyer played just one match against Pakistan, the same match in which Kishan scored a match-winning 82. He was on the sidelines for the rest of the Asia Cup with back spasms.

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