‘I Kept Things Very Simple’: Ishan Kishan Opens Up After Guiding India to Series Win Over Zimbabwe

Ishan Kishan, who scored a vital 81 to help India record a nine-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the second T20I on Saturday, said he was able to remain calm and clear-headed when he had to take up the responsibility of chasing the target, thanks to a simple mindset and belief in his own game.

Chasing down a score of 219, the hosts were all out for a meager 129 in 19.2 overs as India clinched an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series in Harare.

Asked to bat first, India lost two quick wickets and were struggling at 29/2 inside the first three overs. However, Kishan remained calm and played a well-placed, attacking innings as he added 66 runs for the third wicket with the captain Shreyas Iyer (25) before sharing a vital 94-run stand with Tilak Varma. The right-handed batsman remained in good touch throughout the innings and remained not out on 81 off 44 balls, hitting nine fours and two sixes. India posted a mammoth total of 219/5 in 20 overs.

‘I Kept Things Very Simple’: Ishan Kishan Explains His Batting Approach

Zimbabwe failed to recover from their poor start as India clinched the series with yet another impressive display by their bowlers. Abhishek Sharma stood out with a double ton while Yash Thakur and Prince Yadav took two wickets each to bowl out Zimbabwe for 129 in 17.5 overs as India registered an emphatic win.

Ishan Kishan, who was adjudicated the Man of the Match, said that he always focused on his game and didn’t think about the wickets falling in the first hour and a half despite playing two poor knocks before accelerating later in the innings and hitting 4 sixes in an over against Zimbabwe.

“You don’t think about the wickets that have already fallen. The past is past. You just keep watching the ball. You know your strengths, you know where you can score and which bowler to target. It’s about being smart in the middle. I kept things very simple and just backed myself to play my shots all around the ground,” said Kishan while receiving the Man of the Match award.

At the same time, Ishan Kishan, who was dropped by the Indian team management from the ODI squad after the first Test at Karachi, also savored praise on the Indian pace attack, saying Mayank Yadav, debutant Yash Thakur and Prince Yadav have done extremely well with their work rate and performances and should go far in the game.

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“I’m really happy to see them doing well, especially Mayank Yadav, Yash and everyone else. Prince has played a couple of matches as well. All of them bring great energy to the field. It’s not just about how they’re bowling. They’ve all worked incredibly hard, and each of them has a great story behind their success. At the same time, they’ve contributed brilliantly in the field as well. It’s really good to have them around, and the way they’re bowling, I think they’re going to make a big name for themselves,” said Kishan.