'Way Gill and Kishan are batting...': Ex-pacer launches all-out attack on India openers after WI take 2-0 lead
The former Indian pacer was not pleased with the batting performances of Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill.
Surviving a late scare in the 2nd T20I of the five-match series on Sunday, hosts West Indies outclassed Team India for the second time to extend their dominance over the Rohit Sharma-less side at Guyana. Nicholas Pooran's whirlwind knock paved the way for the West Indies to take a 2-0 lead in the second encounter of the bilateral series at the Providence Stadium.
For the first time since 2016, the Men from the Caribbean won back-to-back matches against the 2007 world champions. After Team India's lengthy tail of batting lineup was exposed by the West Indies bowlers, former Indian pacer RP Singh has called out openers Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill following their flop show in the ongoing T20I series. India openers Gill and Kishan have failed to replicate their One Day International (ODI) form in the West Indies T20I.
'Kishan and Gill are not exhibiting that much confidence'
Talking about India's batting lineup for the West Indies series on JioCinema, Singh explained why the performance of India's opening pair is a concern for the visitors in the final leg of the Caribbean tour. "I feel the opening pair's batting should be a slight area of concern for the Indian batting lineup. The way they are batting, they are not exhibiting that much confidence. The opening pair will have to analyze their game a little more," said Singh, who played 10 T20Is for India.
Kishan failed to cash in on his start as the India opener was dismissed for 27 off 23 balls. The Indian opener had smashed back-to-back three half-centuries for Team India in the ODI series against the West Indies. Kishan's partner-in-crime Gill only managed to score 7 off 9 balls as Tilak Varma-inspired India posted a below-par total of 152-7 in 20 overs. "If we talk about Shubman Gill, he played some shots where he probably didn't see the ball's line at all and got beaten. He tried to hit straight with hard hands and the ball went over point," Singh observed.
Asked to chase down the target of 153, West Indies batter Pooran played a brilliant knock of 67 off 40 balls to make sure the hosts finish the contest in 18.5 overs. "Ishan Kishan tries to hit the ball very hard. But both batters are unable to connect the ball properly. The powerplay didn't go that well for us. We couldn't score runs and lost wickets as well. The confidence to move your feet and play the drive was also not seen," the former India pacer added. Openers Kishan and Gill will hope to return to scoring ways against the high-flying West Indies in the 3rd T20I on Tuesday.
