Someone had to take responsibility: Surya hails Ishan’s batting effort

Captain Suryakumar Yadav lauded Ishan Kishan’s scintillating 77 after India’s emphatic 61-run win over Pakistan in their Group A clash at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Colombo on Sunday, crediting the left-hander for seizing responsibility after the initial setback of losing Abhishek Sharma for a golden duck.

Kishan smashed 77 off just 40 deliveries, striking ten fours and three sixes on a sluggish, spin-friendly R Premadasa surface to power India to 175/7. The bowlers then bundled Pakistan out for 114 to seal a comprehensive victory and book a place in the Super Eights.

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“This is for India. We played the same brand of cricket we wanted to play. The way Ishan batted, he batted the same way (he has been batting in the last few games and domestic cricket). Ishan thought something out of the box.

“At 0-1, someone needed to take responsibility, and he did that amazingly. There was a bit of a slump, but that is the beauty of T20 cricket. The way they (Tilak, Dube, and Rinku) batted is commendable,” Yadav said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

The win marked India’s eighth triumph in nine T20 World Cup meetings against Pakistan. Yadav felt the total was comfortably above par and reserved special praise for his bowlers.

“Difficult to tell when batting first. As soon as we reached 175, we thought it was 15-20 runs over par. 155, it would have been a very tight game. Hardik took the new ball, taking charge. Bumrah then showed why he is the best in the world. It was great to see everyone contributing,” he added.

Vice-captain Axar Patel echoed his skipper’s sentiments, describing Kishan’s innings as one of the finest under the circumstances.

“I think one of the great knocks, because it was not so easy, the ball was spinning, some were going straight under light, so it was not easy, it’s just that the form he has had in the domestic cricket, he has carried it forward to the New Zealand series and then in the last match also he scored 50.

“So when you’re confidence is high you don’t think much about yourself or the wicket. Obviously there is confidence also and a lot of skill also. He has not hit all his shots in one place, he has played shots all over, over the cover, slip. He used the field well. So I think credit goes to him,” he said.

Asked whether Pakistan should still be viewed as arch-rivals given India’s dominant record in T20 World Cups, Axar insisted the team does not dwell on the narrative.

“See, we are seeing them as a team. So we are not thinking about these rivalries or whatever. So we are playing against one team, and we are just focusing on cricket. So whenever I am playing, I am not thinking about what about others. I don’t know. But I treat it as a one on one match against an opponent. So, I’m not thinking about any rivalry or whatever. So our opposition came to play, and we played good cricket. That’s it.”

He acknowledged, however, that the fixture carries added pressure. “Yes, there is pressure. Normally we think about it but it is obvious that there is pressure. People around you or your family or friends talk to you about it. So, yes, there is a little more pressure than a normal match. As professional cricketers, we just focus on controlling our emotions. We don’t think too much about the rivalry or put extra pressure on ourselves because of it.”

After wrapping up their solitary assignment in the Island nation, defending champions India will next take on the Netherlands in Ahmedabad on February 18 to conclude their league-stage campaign.