Ishan Kishan Century was foreshadowed by a thunderous Indian stance as India beaten New Zealand by 46 runs in Thiruvananthapuram rolling their final T20I signing off their final T20 world cup with grandeur, confidence and sheer brute force. Kishan with his maiden hundred in T20I in a match that revealed the depth, balance and sheer hitting muscle of India created a statement victory that made it clear why India going to the world cup as defending champions and solid favourites.
The presence of Ishan Kishan century was a timely event, both to the player and the team. Having missed the last game with a niggle and having heard a lot of talk over selecting him, Kishan answered with the emphatic style that is the most emphatic. First, the move by India to bat after the win of the toss was indicative. Suryakumar Yadav had his team put to test on lights and the dew, and the batters punished the bowling team of New Zealand with unsparing hands.
The innings however did not start on full blast. The plight of Sanju Samson would go on and he lost his job in two consecutive overs which temporarily silenced the home fans. Abhishek Sharma, again, demonstrated why he is such a threat or hazard on this format. His brushwork was marked by timing and not brute force because he cut edges with the minimum effort. Nevertheless, Lockie Ferguson led a fast charge which took Abhishek and, for a moment, gave New Zealand a base.
That ijtihad vanished as soon as the centuries Ishan Kishan was produced. Fluent since his early years, Kishan approached both pace and spin in a fearless manner. Suryakumar Yadav also found his rhythm with him and the two changed the course of the game. To start with, they ripped Mitchell Santner into pieces by not letting the New Zealand captain dictate terms. The crease used by Kishan and the daring strokeplay of SKY made sure that the spinners would not have a hideout.
By the point of the midday, India had already passed 102 2 and the pace that was to be apportioned was savage. Kishan hit his fifty in only 28 balls and it was evident that he batted freely and without confusion. The point when New Zealand lost the whole game was the 29-run over Ish Sodhi. Boundaries were running everywhere with Kishan intertwining slogsweeps, lifted drives and mighty hits along the ground.
The Ishan Kishan century came in an epic manner. Lengtime arch-rival of Indian batters, Mitchell Santner, was torn apart by 25 in one over, conversely, Kishan was racing up toward the hundreds blurring half a dozen sixes. It came on 103 on only 43 balls but that is what Kishan wrote his name in the record books as his maiden T20I hundred, a score that could perhaps confirm his hopes of the world cup. His gradual removal following him failed to slack the pace of India.
Suryakumar Yadav was not done and he raised his third fifty in the series and emphasised his revival after a lean run. The final touches were made by Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube with India feeding off 189 off the last 11 overs. The end result of 271 off 5 made it the third-highest T20I score by India, with 23 sixes and an incredible depth of the batting that would be achieved by not many teams.
The pursuit of New Zealand started with assurance on the force of Finn Allen. Allen, who had just completed an active Big Bash League, shot to a half-century and momentarily threatened to perk up the game. Nevertheless, the bowlers in India adapted. The tensile patience of Axar Patel and the flurry of Varun Chakravarthy meant that the run was slowed, and when Allen was blistered to fall on 80 the chase was lost in the air.
The bowling effort of India was Arshdeep Singh. He came back to take key wickets after having started the game costly, and made a 5fer, the second of his career in T20Is. His power to attack at the right time so that New Zealand never threatened the respectable target meticulously. New Zealand would at last be bowled out with a total of 225, which would have been sufficient to win most matches, but was insignificant compared to his wave of India.
Last, this result has a greater meaning than the scoreline. The century of Ishan Kishan was not merely an individual statement but a great screening practice before the T20 WW. India reinstated order following defeat at Visakhapatnam, and put forward their best XI, and performed almost flawlessly. Having every confidence, roles understood and form at the right time, India go into their defence of the World Cup sending a strong signal to the rest of the field: they are ready.
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