I think Ishan Kishan has already got his South African visa: Sunil Gavaskar

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has strongly backed wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan to secure a place in India’s 2027 ODI World Cup squad, declaring him a “complete player” who is now almost impossible to miss.

Gavaskar’s enthusiastic endorsement followed by Kishan’s 125 off just 79 balls—his second one-day international century, which came almost four years after his famous double hundred. The left-hander’s explosive return to form shifted the selectors’ attention and earned him a place in the upcoming ODI squad for the Afghanistan series ahead of high-profile contemporaries Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant.

After Kishan’s masterclass, Gavaskar hinted that the 27-year-old had already done enough to book his ticket to the next World Cup cycle.

“I think he already has a visa,” Gavaskar remarked. “Someone else has to play out of their skin to keep Ishan Kishan out of the team. He is such a big contributor to the T20 format and bats so well.”

Kishan’s superb 125 off 79 balls against Afghanistan in Lucknow – where he went from 50 to 100 in just 19 deliveries – capped a sensational run of form across formats in 2026. The left-hander crossed his 1,000-run milestone in ODIs during the knock and carried forward. a rich vein of form from the T20 World Cup earlier this yearwhere he plundered 317 runs and became the first Indian wicketkeeper to score a half-century in the history of the tournament.

TECHNICAL EVOLUTION

Gavaskar highlighted the noticeable development in Kishan’s technical game over the past 18 months, noting that the technical flaws that once plagued the batsman have been completely eradicated.

“Look at that shot that Graham (Swann) was talking about, that elevated extra-cover drive. He has very good defense as well. Anything short, he goes quickly on the back foot and pulls it for sixes,” Gavaskar said.

“He’s just a complete player now, and he’s become a complete player in the last year and a half. You used to think he might be a bit vulnerable around the off-stump. He didn’t quite have that elevated extra cover. That’s what he’s got now and it’s so hard to keep him calm.”

GREAT TEAM MAN

Kishan’s adaptability also impressed former England spinner Graeme Swann, who praised the batsman’s selfless approach and tactical maturity during his fluid partnership with Shubman Gill. Kishan, who slammed the selectors’ door last year on the domestic circuit to break into the T20 World Cup set-up, currently plies his trade as India’s lead batsman and wicketkeeper.

“He’s a quintessential team man. When you ask him to bat at No. 3, he gives you a valuable shot like he did in the first game. He’s batting at No. 4 today and he was just combative,” Swann noted. “He doesn’t care what number he’s batting at as long as he’s got an India shirt on and that’s fine.”

Swann added that Kishan’s ability to read the tempo of the game was crucial in overcoming difficult playing conditions:

“When he came in, his first fifty, although he wasn’t slow by any means, was about him doing what the team needed. Shubman Gill was batting incredibly at the other end, so he more or less took a back seat. Then Shubman realized Ishan Kishan had put his foot down and was running almost at will, so he just took singles. It was just a perfect partnership in the heat because neither of them had any more free boundaries on them. single and Ishan was playing unbelievable shots.”

Echoing Gavaskar’s technical praise, Swann highlighted how daunting Kishan has become for modern bowling attacks.

“He was very good on the leg side and bowled excellently at anything short. But the highlight for me was those shots over extra cover. When he gets a bit of space and goes over extra cover, it’s a nightmare as a bowler because you don’t want someone to be strong on both sides of the ground. For a little guy like that to hit big sixes over extra cover is brilliant.”

– The end

Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

18 Jun 2026 14:13 IST