How Are India Preparing To Counter Pakistan Spinner Usman Tariq? Ishan Kishan Answers
Following his side's win over Namibia in the ICC T20 World Cup, Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan spoke on preparing for Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq's side action while facing Namibia skipper Gerhard Erasmus who had a sidearm action, saying that the preparation part is "done already" and it is time to "watch the ball and play their natural game". Kishan's explosive 24-ball 61 with six fours and five sixes gave Team India a headstart, which helped them even during a middle-over slump as they finished with 209/9 courtesy fine knocks from him and Hardik Pandya, who also struck a fiery 28-ball 52. Later, Namibia did take the game on against Indian bowlers in the powerplay by attacking Indian pacers, but spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel threw their momentum off the rails, and the visitors were skittled out for merely
Speaking after the post-match presentation, Kishan said on preparing for Usman's sidearm action while facing Erasmus, an off-spinner with a sidearm action as well, saying that watching videos gives the team an idea of what to do, and the Namibian skipper's four-fer served as a great "learning" ahead of the clash against Pakistan on February 15.
"No, I think we have already done the preparation part, and now it is just time to watch the ball and play our natural game (on preparing to play Tariq). So if the ball is there, as a batter, we just feel like going in because it's a T20 game. And we are trying to set a good total on board. But we do have to believe in our strength as well. There's nothing like you have to prepare. I think at this level, we just watch a few videos, and we get an idea of what kind of bowling is going to happen. So we are just keeping it simple. Yeah, he bowled pretty well today, and I think there was quite a bit of learning for us for our team as well today," he said.
Ishan also said that while the team felt the pitch was flat, the ball was "holding up a bit" initially, making it tough to go for fours and sixes. The pair of Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan decided to take their time and look for bad balls.
Speaking on how his mindset has changed following his landmark maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) Trophy win with Jharkhand as a captain last year, which helped him storm back into the team, the left-hander feels he is a "changed man" and focuses more on his craft rather than joking around and having fun, something he used to do all the time, but now does "just for two-three hours".
"I think I am a changed man now, to be honest. I don't get into it too much, but I do enjoy jokes and everything. I do it, but earlier I used to do it 24x7, but now it is just two-three hours of it. So I am just focusing more on batting and my wicket-keeping, which is going to help the team and which is going to help me. Everything is secondary," he added.
After a blazing 24-ball 61 by Ishan and a 28-ball 52 by Hardik took India to 209/9 despite a four-fer from skipper Gerald Erasmus, India were challenged by Namibia well in the powerplay, as the visitors ended that phase at 57/1. From there, Varun Chakravarthy (3/7 in two overs), Axar Patel (2/20 in three overs) and Hardik Pandya (2/21 in four overs) turned the tide in India's favour, skittling Namibia out for 116 runs in 18.2 overs. India is at the top of Group A, with two wins in two matches, followed by Pakistan, with the same win-loss ratio.
