“Ishan Kishan will push for ODI World Cup”,says Ravi Shastri after his resilience knock against Pakistan.

Former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri heaped praise on wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan for his impressive performance against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023. Notably, the match between these arch-rivals ended in a no-result due to persistent rain at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on Saturday, September 2.

In the first innings of the game, Team India faced early setbacks with dismissals of skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and Shubman Gill, leaving them at 66/4. However, Ishan Kishan’s disciplined batting, combined with a 138-run partnership with Hardik Pandya, helped India stage a comeback and post a respectable total of 266 runs

Ishan’s innings of 82 runs from 81 balls included nine fours and two sixes, with a healthy strike rate of 101.23. With the BCCI set to announce the ODI World Cup squad soon, Ravi Shastri, impressed by Ishan’s performance, suggested that the left-handed batsman might be eyeing a spot in the lineup for this significant event.

Ravi Shastri on Star Sports said “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.”

Shastri added “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.”