On a night when India dominated Namibia, Ishan Kishan made sure the spotlight stayed firmly on him. The left-handed wicketkeeper-batter from Patna etched his name into the record books on Thursday, February 12, with a blistering innings in Delhi.
Opening the batting for India, the 27 years old cricketer smashed 61 runs off just 24 balls. His aggressive knock included six fours and five towering sixes. He reached his half-century in only 20 balls, becoming the first wicketkeeper-batter from India to score a fifty in a T20 World Cup match.
Before this, the record for the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper-batter in a T20 World Cup belonged to MS Dhoni. The former captain had scored 45 runs off 33 balls against South Africa in Durban on September 20, 2007. Ishan Kishan’s explosive innings comfortably went past that mark.
On the global stage, the highest individual score by a designated wicketkeeper-batter in a T20 World Cup still belongs to New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum. He had smashed 123 off 58 balls against Bangladesh in Pallekele during the 2012 edition. England’s Jos Buttler also has a century to his name as a wicketkeeper-batter, which he scored against Sri Lanka in Sharjah during the 2021 tournament.
Ishan Kishan came into the match in fine form. Just last month, he had scored a 42-ball century against New Zealand in the fifth T20I. Continuing that momentum, he added 79 runs in only 31 balls for the second wicket with Tilak Varma in this game. The rapid partnership helped India reach the 100-run mark in just 6.5 overs, setting the record for the fastest team hundred in the T20 World Cup history.
Well played, Ishan Kishan!
