Mumbai Indians keeper-batter Ishan Kishan has been rather out of touch so far in IPL 2024. At a time when keepers are competing in the marquee tournament in order to secure a spot in Inia’s T20 World Cup squad, Kishan’s form has been lackluster so to say. The Jharkhand star’s competitors for the wicketkeeper spot in the World Cup include Dinesh Karthik, Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant.
Why Ishan Kishan needs to step up
In seven innings so far, Kishan has managed to score just 192 runs so far, at a strike rate of 172.97. On the other hand, Rishabh Pant has amassed 254 runs in eight innings, with a strike rate better than Kishan’s – 150.29.
RCB finisher Dinesh Karthik, meanwhile, has turned the clock back to 2022, when he secured a spot in the T20 World Cup squad after his impressive performance in that edition. In IPL 2024, he is right behind Rishabh Pant in the Orange Cap standings, having scored 254 runs so far with a superior strike rate of 196.09.
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As far as Kishan is concerned, he has scores of 0, 34, 16, 42, 69, 23 and 8 so far in IPL 2024. Another frontrunner for the spot in India’s T20 WC squad, although it is a little unlikely, is Sanju Samson. The Rajasthan Royals skipper has been consistent with the bat from the start of the tournament. He is above both DK and Pant on the Orange Cap standings, with 276 runs to his name.
While Karthik and Pant can fill in the role of a finisher, it isn’t the case for Samson, putting his chances for selection to the squad in jeopardy. Both Ishan and Samson are more accustomed to playing the role of the no. 3 or no.4 batter but have failed when it comes to batting in the middle order. Kishan has largely played the role of an opener for India so far, with limited success batting down the order. Sanju Samson, on the other hand, is not a specialist finisher but is one of the top-order batters who can both accelerate and anchor the innings for the side.
With half of IPL 2024 done and dusted already, time is running out of Ishan Kishan’s hands to make his case for his inclusion in India’s squad. Clearly, there are frontrunners ahead of him and he would have to capitalise on every given opportunity in order to make the cut.
