Ishan Kishan overtook Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni with his 89-run innings in the first Twenty20 International against Sri Lanka.
Ishan Kishan’s 89 off 56 balls against Sri Lanka in the first T20I at the Ekana Sports City in Lucknow was a return to form for the wicketkeeper-batsman after he struggled against the West Indies in the recently finished T20I series. He has now broken the record for the highest score by an Indian stumper in Twenty20 Internationals (Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and MS Dhoni) with his innings. Ten sixes and three fours dotted his innings, with an average of a little under 159.
Ishan, who had earlier been dismissed on 43, was eventually dismissed on 89 as he missed out on his first international century by a whisker.
At one point, after India was given the opportunity to bat first, Ishan and skipper Rohit Sharma put on an impressive 111-run stand.
After Rohit’s powerplay, he was able to get into a groove. With a 32-ball 44, he became the all-time highest run-scorer in the shortest format of the game, passing Martin Guptill.
An aggressive 57 (28) from Shreyas Iyer helped India reach their target of 199-2 in 20 overs.
The early dismissals of Pathum Nissanka (0) and Kamil Mishara (13) by Bhuvneshwar Kumar put India in control with two wickets in as many overs as Sri Lanka’s reply.
Afterward, Sri Lanka continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, which led to a score of 137 for 6.
Charith Asalanka made a brave 53 from 47 balls, but India won the match by 62 runs on the night.
With the second and third T20Is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, India leads the series 1-0.
