India won the first one-day international against Sri Lanka by seven wickets on Saturday, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series in Colombo. Ishan Kishan and Prithvi Shaw placed themselves in the spotlight. Though Shaw got the team off to a flying start with a stunning 43 off only 24 balls, Kishan proceeded to make his ODI debut with a half-century, hitting 59 runs off 42 balls. Harbhajan Singh on T20I WC
Will be difficult to ignore Prithvi Shaw and Ishan Kishan for T20I World Cup: Harbhajan Singh
With a total of 263 runs to accomplish, India got off to a flying start thanks to Shaw’s outstanding performance. From the start, the inexperienced right-hander slammed the Sri Lankan spinners, putting on a 58-run first-wicket partnership with captain Shikhar Dhawan to steal the spotlight from the hosts. The pair scored 85 runs for the second wicket when Kishan joined Dhawan in the middle.
Kishan began his ODI debut with a 6 and went on to score 59 runs, including 8 fours and two maximums. India knocked down the 263-run total with 13.2 overs to play, with Dhawan remaining unbeaten on 86 off 95 balls. Shaw and Kishan’s impressive innings pleased experienced Indian bowler Harbhajan Singh, who believes the pair will be tough to ignore in this year’s T20 World Cup.
‘To win the World Cup you need players like these’: Harbhajan
Harbhajan Singh on T20I WC. “You can judge a player on his performances. The way Prithvi Shaw and Ishan Kishan have batted in an international game shows how capable they are and it will be difficult to ignore them for the T20 World Cup. If you want to win the World Cup you need players like these. They don’t see who is bowling in the opposition. They just back their natural game,” Harbhajan said in an interview.
Whereas Kishan has previously represented India in T20Is, Shaw has only represented the country in Tests and ODIs and has yet to participate in the shorter format. Shaw and Kishan both have excelled in domestic cricket and in the IPL for their respective teams.
‘Suryakumar Yadav has sealed his place for the T20 World Cup’: Harbhajan
Alongside appreciating Shaw and Kishan, Harbhajan claimed that Suryakumar Yadav has only just scored his position for the World Cup T20, who was a white-ball regular at home ever since the England series.
“They should not be ignored based on their performances. Even if selectors have to replace a senior player, they should go ahead and do it. I also feel Suryakumar Yadav has sealed his place for the T20 World Cup. He not only plays an attacking brand of cricket but is also capable of preserving his wicket and scoring quickly at the same time,” Harbhajan said.
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