Ishan Kishan scored a century in India colours in over 2 years when he slammed his maiden T20I ton vs New Zealand in the fifth and final match at Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. Kishan, who was brought back into the India fold for the upcoming T20 World Cup after a fantastic domestic season, scored his 100 in 42 deliveries in an innings studded with 10 sixes and 6 fours. The batter had just missed out on his century in the 2nd T20I, falling for 76 but he made no mistakes this time. He was aptly supported by his skipper Suryakumar Yadav who scored a half century of his own as the duo dragged India out of the mire after they lost Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson relatively early. Kishan has been at the forefront of India’s dominance in the ongoing series against New Zealand which is being shaped less by runs than by how they respond to early damage. When Sanju Samson fell on the very first ball in the third T20I against New Zealand at Guwahati last Sunday, the Kiwi bowlers felt they had a foot in the door. What they may not have accounted for was the “Ishan Kishan effect.” The left-hander does not seem to be treating scorecards like 0/1 and 6/2 as a crisis right now, but as an opportunity to disrupt. By facing 13 of the next 19 balls in the third T20I, he protected Abhishek Sharma, allowing the youngster to find his feet while the scoreboard raced to a record-breaking 50 in 19 balls. Also Read | The Ishan Kishan effect: How early intent is powering India’s powerplays against New Zealand It was a clinical repeat of his Raipur heroics in the second T20I. There, India was in deep trouble at 6/2, chasing a massive 209. Instead of retreating, Kishan went into overdrive. By the time the powerplay was over, Kishan had already blazed to 56 runs, accounting for nearly 75 percent of the team’s score. He turned a potential disaster into a 75/2 powerplay masterclass. While the regular number three Tilak Varma steadies the innings, Kishan has been aggresive from the start, injecting momentum into the innings after the fall of an early wicket.
IND vs NZ: Ishan Kishan slams maiden T20I century in 5th match vs New Zealand
