‘I don’t know what he had in’: Suryakumar Yadav hails Ishan Kishan’s knock

RAIPUR: After winning the second T20I of the five-match series by seven wickets against New Zealand on Friday, India captain Suryakumar Yadav hailed Ishan Kishan’s blistering performance with the bat, which set the tone for the hosts to chase down the massive 209-run target.

During the post-match presentation, Suryakumar Yadav said that he was angry when Kishan did not give him the strike during the power play.

“I don’t know what Ishan had in the afternoon for lunch, but I have never seen someone batting that way at 6 for 2 and ending the powerplay on 60-odd. But that’s what we want for our batters to be able to express themselves. I was angry he wasn’t giving me a strike in the powerplay but I was able to get a hold of the conditions”, Suryakumar said.

Sublime striking!

Ishan Kishan gets to his fifty in some style

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When asked about his batting, Suryakumar said, “I’ve been batting well in the nets, had a good break, and had a good practice session before the game too. Incredible effort with the ball. When they were 110 for 2, I thought it would be a 230-odd total, but all the bowlers chipped in and took responsibility. I am really enjoying what’s happening right now. The mood is happy in the camp, and I want to keep them in that space”.

After losing the high-scoring contest, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said that India has a deep batting lineup. “[On a par score] Against these guys, 300 maybe? I think when you come up against a side that bats deep and the way India came out with intent from ball 1, for us it’s about squeezing them where we can. [On their best XI] There are still some guys to come, and you want to make sure the guys are ready for the World Cup. Today we were put under a lot of pressure, and it was good for us to learn and bounce back”.

Earlier, fighting knocks from New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner and left-handed batter Rachin Ravindra helped their side to post a challenging score of 208/6. Ravindra played a blistering knock of 44 off 26 deliveries, including two fours and four towering sixes. Captain Santner (47* off 27 deliveries, including six fours and one six) helped their side to post a challenging target of 209 runs against the Men in Blue.

For India, Hardik Pandya (1/25), Harshit Rana (1/35), Varun Chakaravarthy (1/35), Shivam Dube (1/7) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/35) were among the wicket takers.

In response, blistering performances by left-handed batter Ishan Kishan and captain Suryakumar Yadav, and a cameo from all-rounder Shivam Dube helped India to thrash New Zealand by seven wickets in a high-scoring contest.

Kishan smashed a 21-ball half-century as India posted 75/2 after the end of the first powerplay. 75/2 was also the second-highest Powerplay total for India vs New Zealand after 76/1 in Johannesburg in the ICC T20 World Cup 2007.

During the first ball of the 10th over, leg-spinner Ish Sodhi broke the 122-run partnership after he removed dangerous Kishan. The left-handed batter played a blistering knock of 76 runs off 32 balls, including 11 fours and four towering sixes.

India completed the run chase in just 15.2 overs. Skipper Suryakumar stayed unbeaten on 82 runs off 37 deliveries, including nine fours and four huge sixes.

All-rounder Shivam Dube played a fantastic unbeaten knock of 36 off 18 balls, including four boundaries, as India won the high-scoring match by seven wickets. With this commanding win, the Men in Blue have a 2-0 lead in the high-voltage five-match T20I series against the Black Caps. (ANI)