'Ishan Kishan will push for ODI World Cup' - Ravi Shastri after southpaw's courageous innings against Pakistan

Former India cricketer Ravi Shastri lavished praise on wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan for his impressive knock against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023. Notably, the fixture between the arch-rivals yielded no result as persistent showers lashed down at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on Saturday, September 2.

During the first innings of the contest, team India were handed the early blows in the form of skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and Shubman Gill’s dismissals which reduced the side to 66/4. However, a disciplined batting performance by Ishan coupled with a 138-run stand with Hardik Pandya helped India get back into the contest and post a modest total of 266 runs.

Ishan’s 81-ball 82 featured nine fours and two maximums at a healthy strike rate of 101.23. Considering that the ODI World Cup squad will be announced by the BCCI in the coming days, former cricketer Shastri, who was impressed with Ishan’s knock, stated that the southpaw would be eying for a spot in the setup for the big-ticket event.  

Also see: Most Runs in Asia Cup 2023

"As a batsman, you come in with a reputation that you do not get runs against any real sides. You know what, this is a real side. Haris Rauf was great, and so was Shaheen. In his (Ishan Kishan) mind, he will go back thinking that these are 3 top bowlers and I played them very comfortably and it will do wonders for his confidence," said Shastri on Star Sports.

"Ishan Kishan will push (for the ODI World Cup). From India's point of view, they need to be flexible. You might need one extra left-hander against certain sides to make life easier for the right-handers. Even though you have a very good player like KL Rahul, India should keep their options open," he further added.

Speaking about the match, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf claimed 10 wickets between them to restrict team India to a modest score. However, as the match concluded with no result, Pakistan cemented their place in the Super Four stage whereas team India will need to win their next fixture against Nepal to progress to the knockout rounds of the Asia Cup. 

Also Check: Asia Cup 2023 Live Updates