Mumbai Indians (MI) opener Ishan Kishan has had a mixed outing in the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Ishan, who was roped by Mumbai for INR 15.25 crore, failed to live up to the bill with his bat.
Incidentally, Ishan’s failures have garnered widespread criticism as he is falling prey to short deliveries regularly. But the wicketkeeper-batter was vocal about his form after his side’s three-run defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Ishan Kishan stressed that even the greatest batters have struggled as he defended his slow-scoring rate this year. Speaking at the end of the game, the Jharkhand-born cricketer said:
“Even the biggest of players (can struggle), I have seen the likes of Chris Gayle taking time (to start hitting). In cricket, it can never be sure that you have just one role and I will just go out and hit the ball. If you think about the team, it is more important to understand your role.”
Ishan Kishan is Mumbai’s second-highest run-getter this year, scoring 370 runs in 13 matches at an average of 30.83. Despite that, he has looked miles away from his natural best.
“You need to give respect to them” – Ishan Kishan
The 23-year-old cricketer further stated that the batters need to respect if a bowler is bowling good line and length and making it difficult to press the gears.
“If the opposition bowlers are bowling well you need to give respect to them and if you can save wickets it makes it easier for the batters coming later. There cannot be just one situation. Someday, you need to go all out when you are chasing a big total, you need to analyze the strength of the opposition team, whether they have good bowlers to bowl at the death or not, or whether we have to save wickets or not,” he added.
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