IPL 2022 | He just wanted to get out of his misery: Gavaskar on Kishan

After a below-par batting performance, Mumbai Indians (MI) registered another loss against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) last night in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise have been consecutively defeated for eight games since the start of this season, which has been the most by any franchise in IPL history. The side have been heavily criticised for their subpar batting performances.

Ishan Kishan, who Mumbai repurchased for a whopping ₹15.25 crore, has a lot riding on his shoulders this season. Expectations have been high for the youngster after his stellar performances in the past IPL editions.

MI batting coach Mahela Jayawardene stated that Kishan has been given the freedom to play his natural game but still isn't getting the quiet hang of his form. He has struggled throughout the tournament and is getting heavy blows from fans and peers. Although Ishan should not be singled out for Mumbai's failures, he is struggling to live up to his set benchmark.

Former Indian cricketer and batting legend Sunil Gavaskar had a few concerns regarding the young batting star. Gavaskar stated that he was disappointed by the mental attitude displayed in the game against his opposition last night. 

Kishan had a bizarre dismissal, where he reached for a wider ball, but the ball caught his inside edge, then hit wicketkeeper Quinton De Kock's shoe and landed in Jason Holder's palms at the slip.

The dismissal was sent for a referral, but Ishan walked off the field before the final call was made on the decision.  

Gavaskar pointed to this particular incident and expressed his disappointment, stating that any other batsman would have waited for a decision. Still, Ishan walked off because he wanted to be put out of his misery.

"He had a miserable time. He just walked off. Because he had a miserable time, so he just wanted to get out of his misery. Generally, batters, when they have ripped the ball off the middle-edge of the bat and caught and first slip, they would wait. But here's a man who hit the ball down, maybe even hit the turf he was not interested in. He was just walking until the umpire asked him to wait. So it was just the mental situation he was in," said Gavaskar at the post-match presentation discussion.

The legend also added that Ishan has not displayed the right attitude towards shorter deliveries. He mentioned that it is of the utmost importance for Indian batters, especially Ishan, to get used to the pace and bounce ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia. And that if he doesn't learn how to tackle high speed shorter deliveries, he might have a tumultuous time in Australia.

"Maybe he was rattled by the blow he got in the last match on his helmet, and it is actually not a good sign because in places like Australia or South Africa, there is extra bounce, and with his propensity to go there and do nothing about it, he will just be a rabbit caught in the headlights. Every fast bowler is just going to bang it over there. Nobody will pitch it up because that's where he likes. Anything below the waist he will smack it, but above, he is struggling at the moment," said Gavaskar

Ishan Kishan, who is a contender for the Indian T20 World Cup squad, needs to find his footing before the selectors decide to pull the curtains on his World Cup dream.