'Gill Puts Fear In Opposition; Kishan Has Technical Faults,' Says Aaron Finch
Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill (Twitter)
Australia would be more comfortable bowling to the "vulnerable" Ishan Kishan instead of the prodigiously talented and in-form Shubman Gill in their ICC World Cup 2023 opener against hosts India, said their former skipper Aaron Finch.
Finch made an honest assessment of Kishan's game after the young wicketkeeper-batter became a shoo-in for India's campaign opener in Chennai on Sunday (October 8) amidst health concerns for Gill.
The ex-cricketer said the Jharkhand player carries "technical faults" to his game early on against the new-ball and doesn't pose the same sense of "fear in the opposition" that Gill does, especially with the kind of form the childhood prodigy has been in.
Kishan has always been a determined young talent but also has chinks in his armoury. However, the young left-hander does boast of an encouraging record as an opener in One-Day Internationals, a spot where he made his maiden double century late last year against Bangladesh.
Finch Identifies 'Technical Faults' In Ishan Kishan's Game
Speaking to Star Sports, Finch identified a persistent technical flaw in Kishan's game with the assessment that the explosive left-hander tends to close up his front foot "quite a bit" versus the new ball. The former opener said it makes Kishan "vulnerable" before taking on the famed Aussie pace trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.
"Starc and Hazlewood. I would go with that selection if I have to bowl to the left-hander. The out swing to Ishan because I still think he has a few technical faults he still hasn't quite ironed out over the last while.His front foot closes up quite a bit so if he can swing it early, they can get him. Once he gets in, he moves beautifully. But just those initial balls though, he tends to get vulnerable." Finch said.
Finch also lauded Gill for emerging as a serious threat to the opposition attacks so early in his career and deemed his potential absence from the Chepauk face-off as a massive blow to the Indian team management, although coach Rahul Dravid is still optimistic of the youngster recovering in time for the game.
"What's going to stand out in this World Cup is the depth of these squads. Most teams are going with an idea what their ideal XI is but that doesn't always go to plan. There are injuries, fatigue as it's a long tournament. Still, India would be pretty comfortable. The difference will be the fear factor Shubman Gill puts into the Australian team.
"He is someone who Australia at times really struggle to bowl to in any format because he has no weaknesses. He is somebody who can hit your best balls. He dominates spin, left-arm pacer, right-arm pace so I think that will be the only difference. Australia will be a little more comfortable bowling to Ishan Kishan in the powerplay," Finch added.
As per reports, Shubman Gill is suffering from dengue and would likely miss out on India's opener on 8 October against Australia. In this unfortunate scenario, Ishan Kishan would open would skipper Rohit Sharma.
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