India should give break to Ishan Kishan in third T20: Wasim Jaffer

New Delhi: Former batsman Wasim Jaffer has said that the Indian team management should give opener Ishan Kishan a break in the third T20 match of the ongoing five-match series against the West Indies in Guyana. The 25-year-old Kishan has struggled to get big scores in the first two matches. After scoring six runs in nine balls in the first T20 match, he managed to score 27 runs in 23 balls in the second match.

Jaffer told ESPNcricinfo, ‘We know Ishan Kishan has struggled in T20 Internationals, so give him a break. When he plays the next match, he can come back stronger. Jaffer also mentioned that India should start with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal in the third T20 as he had a strong performance in the Test series. Jaiswal scored 266 runs in two matches at an average of 88.67.

The former India opener said, ‘I would pick Yashasvi Jaiswal without any doubt because he brings fearlessness. He plays spin well and his batting against fast bowling is exemplary. He’s at the top of his game, brimming with confidence, so why not throw him into the mix and see what you get? He has scored runs in Tests and is looking for opportunities.

The 45-year-old Jaffer also pointed out that skipper Hardik Pandya is finding it difficult to make the best use of Axar Patel in T20s. Akshar did not bowl an over in the second T20 match despite the pitch slowing down and Jaffer feels that Hardik would not have liked the left-arm spinner against the left-arm pair of Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer.

He said, ‘This has been the problem with Akshar Patel from his IPL franchise to the national team. Whenever a left-handed batsman comes to the crease, it seems that he will not bowl. I can understand when Nicholas Pooran is on strike, but I thought when he and Shimron Hetmyer got out, I was surprised they weren’t given the ball there. Obviously you had Yuzvendra Chahal to bowl your last over and I was honestly surprised that he didn’t bowl. After losing the first two matches by four runs and two wickets respectively, India will be hoping to make a strong comeback in the crucial third match against the West Indies.