"Not Many can hit sixes like me"- Ishan Kishan's blunt reply on less strike-rotation

By Karan Rawat Oct 10, 2022, 13:17 IST

India made a strong comeback in the three-match series against South Africa with a thumping win in the second ODI on Sunday. India won the match by seven wickets, with 25 balls to spare in Ranchi. This win has helped the hosts to level the series at 1-1, with the third and final match to be played on Sunday.

Batting first, South Africa made 278/7 in their 50 overs. In response, India lost skipper Shikhar Dhawan (13) early and Shubman Gill (26-ball 28) also got out after playing some gorgeous drives. But after that, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan took the match away from South Africa's reach.

Both batters added a match-winning partnership of 161 runs to take India to a winning position. Iyer went on to score his second ODI century and carried his bat through to make 113* off 111 balls, with 15 boundaries.

While local boy Ishan Kishan was unfortunate to miss out on his maiden ton, he made 93 off 84 balls, including four boundaries and seven maximums. In the end, Sanju Samson (30*) added an unbeaten 73* runs with Iyer to complete the chase.

Ishan addressed the media in the post-match presentation and spoke about his innings build-up. However, he gave a blunt reply, when asked about his slow approach during the initial stages of his innings and why he fails to rotate the strike like other batters.

The left-hander said that every batter has their own strength. Some like to rotate the strike while some can hit big sixes. He also said that if you can hit big sixes, then there is no need to rotate the strike.

Ishan said, "Some players have the strength to rotate the strike, my strength is to hit sixes. I hit sixes effortlessly, and not many can do that. If I do the job by hitting sixes, there's no need to think about rotating the strike much."

After a cautious start, Ishan opened up and took the charge by stepping out of the crease to Keshav Maharaj. After that, he didn't let any bowler bowl well. He also hit Anrich Nortje three sixes in one over but got out to Maharaj in an attempt to hit another big shot. The final game on this tour will be played on Sunday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.