Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 18 (ANI): Following India’s win over Afghanistan in the second ODI, former England spinner Graeme Swann heaped praises on the Indian batter Ishan Kishan, who slammed his quickfire second 50-over ton, saying that the way he performed seemed he never went away from the ODI set-up and it was “remarkable”.
Kishan, after a dream run in T20Is, which culminated in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 win, emerging as India’s second-highest run-getter, with a fifty in the final, continued his incredible form for Men in Blue in the ODIs as well. In his return to the ODI set-up for the first time since 2023, Kishan scored a quickfire 34 in the first ODI, before smashing a blistering 79-ball 125 in the second, also completing his 1,000 ODI runs in the process.
Speaking on JioStar ‘Cricket Live’, Swann spoke on Kishan, pointing out that he is a type of player who does a job asked from him without any complaints and pointed out to his brutal acceleration, reaching from fifty to a century within just 19 balls.
“He is the sort of player who will do whatever job you ask of him without any complaints. The fact that he’s come back into the team and looks like he’s never been away is remarkable. He came to the crease and was circumspect for his first fifty, but then took just 19 deliveries to go from 50 to 100, which is ridiculous,” he said.
Swann also hailed Kishan’s knock as “sensible” cricket, adding that his shots were not about “crazy hitting or slogging”.
“It was not crazy hitting or slogging either. He was simply being sensible, picking his spots on the leg side, forcing the bowlers to change their lines, and then playing those gorgeous lofted extra-cover drives. It is a sign of sheer class. That shot, wide of long-off, is something he’s worked on over the last two years. It was an area where bowlers could shut him down, but he went away, worked on it, and turned it into a strength, which is brilliant,” he added.
On Team India’s bench strength, he said that India has a very strong domestic tournament in the IPL, which keeps producing players, but someone out of them misses out. He pointed out how different India is from the rest of the world, which is not in as rich in the talent pool, adding that he wishes England “were in India’s shoes” heading into the Cricket World Cup next year.
“India has a very strong domestic tournament in the IPL, which continues to produce players, and at some point, someone is always going to miss out. Put yourself in the shoes of other nations around the world that don’t have that luxury and would scrap just to get their best XI on the field and compete. India has all these players vying for a few spots, and it brings out the best in them because they know they can’t afford to have a couple of quiet games. Rohit was disappointed with 48 today,” he said.
“Normally, for an opener, 48 is a decent score. But such is the way at the moment that you start thinking he needs a big score. India is in an enviable position right now, and a lot of teams around the world will look at them and think, ‘With a World Cup coming up in South Africa, I wish we were in their shoes,” he signed off.
Coming to the match, Afghanistan opted to field first. But centuries from skipper Gill (154 in 110 balls, with 22 fours and two sixes) and Ishan (125 in 79 balls, with 14 fours and seven sixes) helped India reach 402 all out in 49.5 overs. Nangeyaliya Kharoti (4/76) and Rashid Khan (3/48) were the top wicket-takers for Afghanistan.
In the chase, Rahmat Shah stood tall with an 89-ball 79, with eight fours and a six. Top-order batters Rahmanullah Gurbaz (41 in 33 balls, with seven fours and a six) and Sediqullah Atal (42 in 50 balls, with five fours and a six) also produced solid performances, but it was not enough as Brar (3/60), Arshdeep Singh (3/45) and debutant Prince Yadav (2/56) bundled out Afghanistan for 232 runs. (ANI)
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