‘Would Pick Yashasvi Without a Doubt, He brings Fearlessness’: Ex-Opener Suggests Giving Break to Kishan

Ishan Kishan had some great outings in the Tests and ODIs against the West Indies. After scoring his maiden Test half-century in the second Test in Trinidad, the wicketkeeper-batter scored a fifty each in all three ODIs played against the hosts. But he seems to have lost his rhythm after shifting focus to the shortest format of the game. Kishan featured in the first two T20Is against the West Indies where he managed scores of 6 and 27. In fact, India’s opening pair – comprising Kishan and Shubman Gill – has failed to provide good starts on both occasions which has affected the team’s overall batting performance at large.

It’s been more than a year that Ishan Kishan has struggled to get runs in T20Is. His last fifty for India came last year, against South Africa at home in June 2022. Since then, the wicketkeeper-batter has played 16 T20I innings and amassed 233 runs with the highest score of 37.

Ishan Kishan’s struggle has been visible in the Caribbean T20Is and former India opener Wasim Jaffer feels that the youngster should be given a break. Speaking with ESPN Cricinfo ahead of the 3^rd T20I, Jaffer opined that India can think of benching Ishan for a game so that he can return afresh and get back his rhythm.

“We know that Ishan Kishan has struggled in the T20 internationals, so give him a break. He might come back stronger when he plays next,” said Jaffer.

Since India also have Yashasvi Jaiswal in the squad, Jaffer said India can try the Mumbai batter in place of Kishan. The former made a blistering Test debut last month, scoring a hundred in Dominica and followed it up with a fifty in the next game. Notably, Jaiswal has also proved his worth in T20s. Playing for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, he scored 625 runs earlier this year.

“I would pick Yashasvi Jaiswal without a doubt just because he brings that fearlessness. He plays spin well and his batting against fast bowling is exemplary. He’s right at the peak of his game, high on confidence, so why not throw him in the mix and see what you get? He’s got runs in Tests and he’s looking for an opportunity,” Jaffer added.