Asia Cup: Ishan Kishan hammers his fourth successive ODI fifty
India's rising batting sensation Ishan Kishan has smashed his fourth successive ODI fifty. He accomplished the milestone with a fighting knock in India's opener in the 2023 Asia Cup against Pakistan. Kishan tackled Pakistan's formidable attack with precision and bailed India out of trouble. He ended up scoring 82 off 81 balls, a knock laced with nine boundaries and two sixes. Here is more.
A timely knock from Kishan
Batting first in Pallekele, India suffered a top-order collapse as Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf made the new ball talk. The Men in Blue were reduced to 66/4. Kishan, who arrived at number five, joined forces with Hardik Pandya and the duo stitched a 138-run stand. Kishan batted with remarkable intent and played some delightful shots. He eventually fell to Rauf .
Fourth successive fifty for Kishan
As mentioned, this was Kishan's four successive fifty in ODI cricket. He recorded scores worth 77, 55, and 52 during the three-match ODI series against West Indies in July-August this year. Notably, all those half-centuries came while opening the innings. He got a chance against Pakistan as KL Rahul, India's first-choice keeper-batter in ODIs, missed out due to a niggle.
A look at his ODI stats
Kishan has now raced to 776 runs in 18 ODIs at an impressive average of 48.50. His strike rate reads 106.74. Overall, he owns seven fifties and a solitary ton in the ODI format. Notably, his hundred was a double-century against Bangladesh in December last year. The southpaw smashed a record-breaking 210 off 131 balls in that duel.
