The Resurrection: From Bihar to World Cup
For Ishan Kishan, the man from Bihar, from two years of wilderness to the World Cup team, it is a remarkable journey. The team management’s search for the batter for the third spot has ended. At the Greenfield stadium in Tiruvananthapuram in the deep South, Kishan created sensation on Saturday by hitting the maiden T20 hundred in the fifth match of the series against New Zealand as the Indian team posted 271 runs and won the match with 46 runs.
Solving the Number Three Conundrum
After making the hundred, Ishan Kishan removed his helmet, lifted his bat, sprinted towards the point leaping in the air falling into Pandya’s embrace thus completing the circle of being an outsider and the hero. He is arguably the most post-modern one-drop batsman at number three position that Indian cricket ever had. Indian cricket management tried Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Surya Kumar Yadav, Tilak and Sanju Samson in that position. But none could fill the gap ideally. But Ishan in his four matches against New Zealand has proved himself to be the most suitable number three India has been searching for.
Ishan has surprised the cricket watchers by lifting the seventh ball he faced on Saturday to a soaring six. It was a leg-cutter from outside the off-stump from ace bowler Lockie Ferguson and Ishan with a crisp swing of the bat has sent the ball racing through extra cover. Mitchel Shanter, New Zealand captain, summoned Ish Sodhi who was promptly sent for six. In Sodhi’s next over, Ishan plundered as many as 28 runs. He made batting look so easy and rendered the bowlers hapless. Ishan has added additional ammo to the side which already has players like Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube in time for the World Cup.
The Leg-Side Specialist
Ishan completed his hundred off 42 balls slog-sweeping Mitchell Santer over deep midwicket. Ishan and Surya kumar Yadav created waves in the middle overs. Between 9th and 17th overs, they made 132 runs. More importantly Ishant has reached from 52 to 103 runs in just 14 balls. That was the speed with which he was scoring runs. He was very fluent on the leg side. 65 of his 103 runs were made on the leg side. India have finally found the perfect batsman for the third slot. A batsman who can ruthlessly execute his shots whether it is pace or spin bowling, Ishan has proved his mettle in time for the World Cup. With availability of Tilak Varma beyond any doubt the Indian team for the T20 World Cup will be full of talent.
Roots and Professional Evolution
Ishan Pranav Kumar Pandey Kishan born on 18 July 1998 made his international debut in March 2021 against England. He played for Jarkhand in domestic cricket and in Indian Premier League he plays for Sunrises Hyderabad after Mumbai Indians. He was the captain of Under 19 Indian team for 2016 World Cup.
Though he was born in Patna, where his father Pranay Kumar Pande is a builder, as there were issues of registration between Bihar Cricket Association and Board of Control for Criket in India (BCCI), Ishan started playing for the neighbouring Jarkhand. He played in Duleep trophy and Vijay Hazare trophy and scored well. That performance elevated him to the Indian squad. Ishan signed a contract with Yorkshire to play two county championship matches in june 2025. He made his debut for Yorkshire at Trent Bridge scoring 87 runs in 98 balls.
India have finally unearthed a postmodern number three batsman of uninhibited hitting prowess. Ishan has risen from outlaw to mould breaker becoming a hero confirming his place in the World Cup team without having to ask for it.
Prominent Journalist
Dr. K. Ramachandra Murthy is a versatile journalist with a distinguished career. Dr. Murthy began his extensive career with Andhra Prabha of The Indian Express group in Bengaluru. He was editor of Udayam, Vaartha and Andhra Jyothy. Dr. Murthy founded and edited HMTV news channel and The Hans India, an English newspaper. He was also editorial director of the Telugu newspaper, Saakshi. He was awarded Ph. D for his research work in rural reporting. Dr. Murthy’s five decades in journalism showcases his influential roles across both print and electronic media. He wrote the political biography of NTR published by Harper Collins.
