India’s new-look top-order shows intent but pace still issue for Kishans and Gaikwads

One
can
safely
bet
his
last
shirt
that
Ishan
Kishan
and
Ruturaj
Gaikwad
will
not
open
for
India
when
they
take
on
Pakistan
in
their
opening
T20
World
Cup
game
at
the
MCG
in
the
last
week
of
October.

Yet,
this
series
will
be
the
first
of
its
kind
indicator
of
how
life
without
Rohit
Sharma,
KL
Rahul
and
Virat
Kohli
will
look
as
and
when
the
situation
arises.
If
the
first
evening
is
any
indicator,
the
Ruturaj
Gaikwads
and
the
Ishan
Kishans
are
ready
to
shed
the
archaic
style
of
safety
first
approach
that
became
India’s
undoing
during
the
last
global
edition.

They
showed
intent
and
threw
their
bats
around
with
Kishan
getting
a
fifty
but
both
looked
in
some
sort
of
discomfort
when
Kagiso
Rabada
and
Anrich
Nortje
were
in
operation.

In
fact,
express
quick
deliveries
did
create
problems
and
two
of
the
three
sixes
that
Gaikwad
hit
didn’t
look
controlled
ones.
In
fact
the
first
over
that
Kagiso
Rabada
bowled,
it
seemed
that
the
ball
was
hitting
the
bat
rather
than
bat
hitting
the
ball.

Rabada
bowled
a
touch
short
of
good
length
at
an
upward
140
click
pace
which
saw
Gaikwad
not
being
able
to
put
bat
to
ball.
When
he
tried
to
rush
down
the
track,
Rabada
would
shorten
the
length
and
beat
him
with
sheer
pace.

Similarly
for
Kishan,
Nortje
revved
it
up
and
had
him
and
Gaikwad
in
all
sorts
of
trouble
as
he
seemed
even
a
touch
quicker
compared
to
Rabada.
The
deliveries
that
were
creating
trouble
mostly
were
those
which
were
slightly
angled
in
or
straightened
after
pitching.

The
first
six
that
Gaikwad
got,
he
had
absolutely
no
clue
as
to
where
the
ball
went.
It
was
a
sharp
and
quick
delivery
that
got
bigger
on
the
CSK
star
and
he
was
not
in
control
of
his
hook
shot
but
with
today’s
bats
having
sweet
spots
in
edges
too,
it
flew
behind
square
for
a
six.

In
the
very
next
over,
Rabada
bowled
a
beautiful
Test
match
delivery,
that
was
full
and
squared
up
Kishan
as
he
edged
one.
If
it
was
even
an
ODI
where
one
keeps
a
slip
stationed
for
at
least
10
overs,
it
was
a
regulation
catch
but
T20
gave
Kishan
the
cushion
to
play
through
that
area
even
though
it
wasn’t
deliberate.

For
Gaikwad
and
Kishan,
it
was
like
waiting
for
the
loose
deliveries
to
come
their
way
and
cash
in
on
them.
They
were
successful
on
the
day
with
Tabraiz
Shamsi,
Keshav
Maharaj
and
Dwayne
Pretorius
being
the
weaker
link
in
the
Proteas
attack.

It
would
work
on
some
days
but
the
kind
of
jitters
they
showed
initially,
Rahul
Dravid
will
be
thinking
thousand
times
and
over
again
to
see
if
they
can
consistently
marry
intent
with
skill
to
face
high
quality
quick
bowling.