IPL 2020 | Ishan Kishan should be in the list of India’s wicketkeeper-batsmen, opines Aakash Chopra

Ishan Kishan has had a wonderful run this season, scoring 483 in 13 matches, which has included massive 29 sixes - the highest by any player this season. In the absence of Rohit Sharma, he batted at the top of the order and got Mumbai to several good starts. In the matches he has been asked to bat in the middle order too, he has been absolutely brutal on opposition bowlers, showing his flexibility to bat anywhere in the batting lineup. 

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has opined that the Mumbai Indians left-hander must be considered for India selection. 

“Ishan Kishan’s name should also be there along with Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant in the list of prospective wicketkeeper-batsmen for the Indian team,” Chopra said in a YouTube video on his channel. 

Another batsman who has done wonders for Mumbai this season has been Suryakumar Yadav, scoring four fifty-plus scores in the tournament, playing a pivotal role in MI reaching their sixth final of the tournament. Having already scored 461 runs at an average of 41.90, Suryakumar has been one of the most consistent performers for the Mumbai Indians in the last few seasons of IPL.

However, Suryakumar did not find a place in India’s ODI or T20I squads that will travel to Australia after IPL. Chopra felt that the Mumbaikar should have been picked for the Australian tour. 

“The voice comes repeatedly from the heart that Suryakumar Yadav should have been on the Australia tour,” Chopra said. 

Chopra also praised Hardik Pandya for his blazing innings towards the end that pushed MI to 200 batting first and pointed out the poor performance of Delhi Capitals against the defending champions, where they have lost all of their last 3 matches against them one-sided. 

“Ashwin was trying to get the Delhi Capitals back in the game but they were not able to take advantage of that. First Suryakumar Yadav, then Ishan Kishan and finally Hardik Pandya blasted them,” he said.

“The Delhi Capitals won the toss and after that they did not win anything. That’s the only thing they won on the night. They have played the Mumbai Indians thrice and have lost by 9 wickets, 5 wickets and then 50-60 runs. What are they doing?” Chopra said.