As always, there is tremendous competition for spots on the Indian team. Players like Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Umran Malik, and others only have the chance to play when some of the team’s more experienced players are out or injured. Ishan Kishan has been encouraged to secure his spot in the team and be a “sure-shot opener” at the World Cup next year by Australia great Brett Lee, who knows that the ODI World Cup is only a year away.
In the third ODI against Bangladesh, Ishan made history by scoring the fastest double century and displaying his genuine batting prowess. There is no questioning Ishan’s potential, but Brett Lee is hoping the southpaw can remain healthy and reliable in the upcoming season. “With this deadly double, Ishan has staked a strong claim to open for India in the ODI World Cup at home in 2023. Will this happen? I don’t know. Should it happen? Hell yeah it should. The guy just scored the fastest 200 in ODI history. But if he can show consistency, stay fit, and be around the next few months, he should be a sure-shot opener for India at the World Cup,” Lee said on his YouTube channel.
“Back Ishan to make it in the World Cup squad with an eye on the future and clearly, he would be on a high after that knock as he should be. However, a word of caution. Too much praise had led to cobwebs in the head. So my advice to Ishan Kishan would be… forget about the milestone, forget about the double hundred as soon as you can. There are bigger milestones to achieve, higher peaks to scale. Ishan Kishan has to forget about the euphoria of his double hundred. Just focus on the process, stay fit and keep smashing big runs,” Lee added.
Lee was pleased not only by Ishan’s batting on the way to his double century against Bangladesh, but also by Virat Kohli’s response to his teammate’s accomplishment. “I am a little late in reacting to this, but as they say… better late than never. What we saw just a few days ago from Ishan Kishan was truly amazing. Bangladesh had no answer. The fastest double-hundred in ODI history, that’s right. 210 runs off just 132 balls… 24 fours and 10 massive sixes. A ferocious knock with shots all around the dial. Unbelievable batting, he could have easily got a triple hundred as well. It helped that he had the master Virat Kohli at the other end. What I loved about the innings was not just Ishan Kishan’s shot-making but Kohli’s reaction when Ishan ran the 200th run. What a great spirit and camaraderie between the two,” mentioned Lee.
