India’s Ishan Kishan (PTI Photo) Thiruvananthapuram: Opportunity rarely comes gift-wrapped in international cricket. More often than not, it comes against the background of someone else’s misfortune and demands to seize it without hesitation. Tilak Varma’s injury did just that for Ishan Kishan. Given that Kishan had the entire series to stake his claim, he turned every outing into a statement. A brutal 76 off 32 in Raipur set the tone, a whirlwind 28 off 13 in Guwahati kept the momentum going and then came the crescendo in Thiruvananthapuram – a blistering 103 off 43 balls – his maiden T20I century at Sanju Samson’s home ground. By the time the series against New Zealand was concluded, Kishan was no longer testing; played the role.
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In a format where hesitation is fatal, Kishan’s decisiveness is his greatest strength. There is, of course, one caveat. If he starts the tournament with Abhishek Sharma, that would mean two left-handers at the top, potentially leaving India with six left-handed batsmen in the top eight if Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube and Axar Patel play. On paper, this imbalance is important. In practice, the gap between Kishan and his competitors has grown too wide to break the deal. The subtext told its own story. In the fifth T20I, Kishan walked out in the keeper’s gloves. Captain Suryakumar Yadav clarified that it was pre-planned. “Before the series, we decided that Sanju would stay for three matches and Ishan for two,” he said. But in elite sports, optics matter. Kishan had an off day behind the stumps but it didn’t hurt India in Thiruvananthapuram. In contrast, Samson’s journey back after Saturday’s six-ball sojourn had a familiar air of disbelief – bat hanging, eyes searching for answers. Over time, his footwork has shifted into a pattern that is now mercilessly exposed. Where modern greats like Rohit Sharma press forward – a subtle trigger on the front foot that keeps both sides of the field in play – Samson does the opposite. Instead of going backwards and across, it goes backwards and towards the side of the leg. This move narrows his options. By being so foot-dominant, Samson is effectively setting himself up for the half of the pitch. Anything on his pads, anything he can whip or flick. But when the ball is delivered on middle and off, he suddenly chases it and the batsman hunts outside his body line. That’s when the timing leaves him. Control is missing. And the outside edge comes into play. Lockie Ferguson didn’t need tricks. Extra pace, hard length and the ball angled outside off. Samson, who was already moving on the leg side, had to make a shot. The result was predictable: a thick edge and a deserted path back to the pavilion. Forty-six runs from five games tells a sad tale. Kishan, meanwhile, went straight through to almost seal the keeper’s slot for the T20 World Cup.
