Ishan Kishan plays a shot during the Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan, at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023.
Credit: PTI Photo
If Saturday is any indication, and it’s a rather good one, India are looking for a solution to a problem they may have already solved. It didn’t win them this Asia Cup tie against Pakistan because that was abandoned due to rain, but it surely has made a case for the future.
The answer to India’s middle-order woes comes in the shape of a not-so-elegant but highly efficient left-hander named Ishan Kishan.
Given the gravity of the contest at the Pallekele stadium, and the corner which Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf pushed India to, Kishan couldn’t have timed this potentially career-altering knock better.
And, he did it coming at No. 5, which, as we’re all aware of by now, is the position that needed fixing ahead of the World Cup.
Kishan’s 82-ball 81 wasn’t a gripping watch if one was into the aesthetics of southpaws with bats, but for sheer impact and overall efficacy in movement and timing, it was some sight. While the same can be said of Hardik Pandya’s 90-ball 87, it was miles more exquisite visually.
So, with one batter cross-batting his way to a half-century and the other displaying an elegance that was once thought to be lost, India would have fancied a big score. Wrong.
The losing of four wickets for under 50 runs, the end to the 138-run alliance between Kishan and Hardik, followed by an inadequate performance from the lower order meant India could only get to 266 all out in 48.5 overs.
Alas, Pakistan never got a chance to test their batting prowess, and India’s bowlers couldn’t ply their wares in such favourable conditions.
Two rain delays, which amounted to a total of 53 minutes, had already delayed proceedings, but the spell which came on after India’s innings ended at 7.45 pm, wouldn’t relent. By 9:52 pm, it was decided that no further play would be possible, leaving the sides with one point each.
Still, despite the dead-rubber status, Afridi’s hand in dismantling the Indian batting line-up cannot be relegated to memory. Just ask Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja - especially the first two - to describe that spell from the 23-year-old juggernaut!
Speed comes fairly naturally to the 6’6’’ left-arm quick from the Khyber Agency so that can be taken for granted, but the level of artistry and accuracy he displayed in his figures of 10-2-35-4 will be spoken of for some time to come.
The dismissal of Rohit was particularly striking for it not only made the Indian skipper look inept, it also reflected the bowler’s brilliance. Having taken two previous deliveries away from the right-hander, Afridi got the ball to land on the same spot, but this time, it came in sharply. Rohit’s defence was breached, and the off stump bore the brunt of the batter’s laziness.
Rauf (3/58) was no less effective in evoking emotions the way only raw pacers can, and Naseem Shah (3/36) was the perfect workhorse for the situation. The spinners weren’t particularly cheap despite the strip aiding turn and bounce, but they didn’t concede way more than their batters wouldn’t have been able to handle, in theory at least.
Unfortunately, we now have to wait for the stars to align for this rivalry to resume in this tournament. If that doesn’t happen, it will surely unfold on October 14 at the Narendra Modi stadium in the 2023 World Cup. Until then...