Team India went 2-0 up in a five-match series against Australia on Sunday as the Suryakumar Yadav-led side registered a 44-run win in Thiruvananthapuram. After being put into bat by Australia captain Matthew Wade, India’s top-3 batters — Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan — all scored half-centuries, propelling India to a mammoth score of 235/4. Jaiswal smashed a 24-ball half-century before Gaikwad (58) and Kishan (52) also crossed the 50-run mark.
After Jaiswal dismissal, Kishan took the mantle of power-hitting, reaching his half-century in just 29 balls.
Kishan is one of the three members in the team for the ongoing series who were part of the World Cup squad, along with captain Suryakumar and Shreyas Iyer, who will join the side for the last two matches.
Having played just two matches during the entire tournament, Kishan lift the lid on India’s World Cup final defeat. He said it was important for him to remain fresh despite not playing regularly.
“It is all hunger, when you are not a part of a great team. We played like champions at the World Cup. I was feeling bad, but you can’t help it. In international cricket, times will come when you will not play but at the same time, you will have to be fresh. You will have to make it count when the time comes. When the opportunity comes, you will have to go for it,” Kishan said on Jio Cinema.
Kishan played India’s World Cup-opener against Australia and a game against Afghanistan, registering scores of 0 and 47, respectively.
After near-flawless batting performance in back-to-back games, the new-look Indian team would like to keep its foot firmly on the pedal in Guwahati, a venue that has traditionally been a batting belter. And there is no reason to think that the 22-yard strip is any different this time also.
The 40,000 spectators, expected to fill up the stands, would expect a run-feast from the talented Indian batting unit, which would want to add to the 36 boundaries and 24 maximums it has collectively hit across the two games.
For Australia, some of their senior players like Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa have been in India for nine weeks and fatigue is showing. They need considerable rest before their next assignments.
All the four will play in Big Bash League next month. For Smith, the Pakistan Test series would be his next international assignment.
Topics mentioned in this article
