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Batting star of Mumbai Indians’ Ishan Kishan stated that fitness plays a major role in the fast-paced T20 format. He praised himself for his good habits after a remarkable match-winning knock of 75 off 41 balls in their victorious chase of 215 against Punjab Kings in Mohali on Wednesday. Kishan won the ‘Player of the Match’ trophy for his superb match-winning knock to help his team gain crucial points.
Ishan scored his second fifty of the IPL 2023 season, and played a top-notch inning for MI as he smashed the new ball all over the park, despite the team losing the crucial wicket of Rohit in the very first over.
The 24 year old exhibited his batting masterclass in a 116-run partnership with Suryakumar Yadav that took away the game from the Kings. Ishan said that the newcomers are learning the significance of fitness from the senior players on the team.
“There are so many senior players who have set the examples for us. So we keep training hard even if it means working out during games. But it’s also important what you eat at home, so credit goes to my mom,” Kishan stated.
Ishan is MI’s top scorer in the ongoing IPL. The left-handed batter has scored 286 runs in the nine games, an average of 31.7.
A note from the coach
Mumbai Indians orchestrated their second-highest victorious chase in Mohali with the help of Ishan and Suryakumar’s fireworks.
Suryakumar, who shined with a fifty in MI’s victorious pursuit of 213 versus Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Mumbai a few nights earlier, scored 66 runs off of just 31 balls against Punjab. Ishan clarified the instructions given to the batsmen by head coach Mark Boucher before the chase in Mohali, saying they were instructed to look at the ball and hammer them out of the ground.
“The wicket was too good to bat on and I kept for 20 overs so I knew how the wicket was playing. And when you are chasing you need to keep the momentum. Whenever it was in the arc I was going to go for it. I know he was swinging the ball pretty well so I thought about stepping out to him. That was the plan and the message from the coach as well. To keep the momentum going and watch the ball and play your own game,” said Boucher.
With 10 points after nine games, MI move up to sixth place in the standings, while PBKS drop to seventh as a result of a poorer net run rate. The fight for the playoffs is very exciting since four teams are tied on 10 points.
