'Proved why they're so highly-rated in T20s' - Danish Kaneria lauds Ishan-Shreyas duo after match-winning effort against Sri Lanka

Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria was highly impressed with Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer for their brilliant batting in the first T20I against Sri Lanka and hailed the duo. Kishan struggled to get his strike rate up in the T20Is against West Indies but he made use of the opportunity against Sri Lanka and scored a brilliant 56-ball 89 with ten fours and three sixes. Iyer, meanwhile, had the perfect platform setup coming in at three and he brought up his half-century in just 25 deliveries.

Both these batters haven’t had a consistent run of opportunities on the Indian side in the last few series and the resting of Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant for this series worked in their favour. Kishan’s match-winning innings at the top with Iyer’s demolition at the end ensured that India set a target of 200 for the Sri Lankan side to chase down in the first T20 and the hosts ended up winning the game by 62 runs in the end.

Kishan needs to make the most of his chances: Danish Kaneria

Kaneria reckoned the duo’s innings in the first T20I proved the kind of potential they have and was highly impressed with Kishan’s adaptability on a slow wicket. He added that with Pant being the number one wicketkeeper at the moment, Kishan has to continue his good work and make the most out of every opportunity that comes his way.

“Both Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer fetched lucrative contracts at the IPL auction. With their performance against Sri Lanka, they proved once again why they are rated so highly in T20 cricket,” Kaneria told on his Youtube Channel

“Kishan made batting look very simple during his stay at the crease. The wicket was slow and the ball wasn’t coming on to the bat nicely. In spite of that, Kishan batted outstandingly. He knows the importance of this series as Rishabh Pant is still the number 1 keeper for India. He needs to make the most of his chances. While the West Indies series proved to be underwhelming for him, he has started off brilliantly against Sri Lanka,” he added.

Kishan was the most expensive player in the IPL 2022 mega auction having been bought by the Mumbai Indians for a whopping INR 15.25 crore. Iyer was the third-most expensive player as well with the Kolkata Knight Riders picking him up for INR 12.25 crore.