IPL 2022: When Virender Sehwag once praised Dhoni-like Ishan Kishan's 'fearlessness'
During Mumbai Indians' opening IPL 2022 clash against Delhi Capitals at the Brabourne Stadium, Ishan Kishan smashed his tenth IPL half-century (81 off 48 balls) and third 50 in a row, sparking massive celebration among fans.
FollowMumbai Indians' Ishan Kishan, who was bought for a whopping Rs 15.25 crore in last month's Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction, on Sunday proved that the sensational wicketkeeper-batter does not feel the pressure of the price tag.
During the team's opening clash against Delhi Capitals at the Brabourne Stadium, Ishan Kishan smashed his tenth IPL half-century (81 off 48 balls) and third 50 in a row, sparking massive celebration among fans. Thanks to this brilliant knock from the youngster, supported well by captain Rohit Sharma (41) and Tikal Varma (22), Mumbai Indians posted a total of 177 for the loss of 5 wickets.
Kishan became the second-costliest Indian cricketer purchased at an IPL auction after the legendary Yuvraj Singh, who was bought for a whopping Rs 16 crore by Delhi Daredevils in 2015.
Following this, several critics questioned if the sensational cricketer would be able to live up to the team and fans' expectations. Regardless, Ishan Kishan has impressed everyone with his fearless approach while batting. Some fans have even compared him to MS Dhoni due to his roots from Jharkhand, his wicketkeeping skills and his swashbuckling batting style.
One such comparison made in the past was by legendary Indian opener Virender Sehwag. In a tweet posted after India's 7-wicket win over England during a T20I in Ahmedabad, Sehwag praised Ishan Kishan's fearlessness and batting style after scoring a stunning 56 off 32 balls in that game.
"A young keeper-batsman from Jharkhand promoted up the batting order and proving his calibre. This has happened before. Loved the fearlessness and attacking batting of Ishan Kishan," tweeted the former Delhi Daredevils skipper.
In the past, Kishan has spoken about the influence of Dhoni and how people inspire him to take the legendary cricketer's place in the Indian team.
"Even today, wherever I go, people say the same thing: 'MS Dhoni has played from Ranchi, now it's your turn to take his place'. I feel good too that I am being talked up as a guy who can take Dhoni bhai's place, but there's also pressure because of what he has done for the country, that's very difficult," the 23-year-old left-handed batter had said after he struck fifties on debut for India in both 20 overs and 50-over cricket.
"Whenever I talk to him, it's generally about wicketkeeping, or when we meet during the IPL, I share with him whatever I am feeling at that moment. For example, I'll tell him, 'Bhaiya, I am not able to perform after one good game', and he'll say, 'It might be the case that your hunger goes down after one performance and you are not focussing enough'. These are the things I discuss with him, and he gives me very simple solutions like wicketkeeping drills, and that helps a lot," Ishan Kishan had added.
Also read:Â When Yuvraj Singh called Mumbai Indians' Ishan Kishan a 'special player'
Ishan Kishan was released by MI last year as they opted to retain Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Kieron Pollard. Ahead of their opener, Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene spoke about if Ishan Kishan's price tag would affect his performance on the field?
Responding to an Asianet Newsable query during a pre-season press conference, Jayawardene said, "I think it is something that the player, coach and the franchise need to control. We need to create a suitable environment for everyone to perform. It's nothing to do with Ishan or any other player at what price he was bought at the auction, as it is not in their control."
"We knew that it would be tough to get some of the players back [during the auction]. But, we wanted to create something unique, which was why the franchise went in all ahead to repurchase Ishan to give that partnership at the top. Rohit [Sharma] and Ishan is a good combination," he added.
"He [Kishan] is a wicketkeeper-batter, and having someone like him at the top-order is rare, especially in franchise cricket. So, given all that and how he could balance the team, many other factors played a part. So, I don't personally think Ishan will feel that pressure. It's a franchise decision on how we want to set up the team and how we want to look forward to the future," Jayawardene continued.
"So, I don't think it is a problem. Even if we have a couple of bad games, I'm sure the players outside the bubble will have some pressure. But, Ishan, being in and around the Mumbai setup for quite some time and how we create that environment, I don't feel it would be an issue for him," the Mumbai Indians head coach concluded.
