Ishan Kishan has been in great form with the bat since his return to the India national cricket team and Wasim Jaffer believes the comeback was no coincidence.
The former Indian opener feels that former captain Suryakumar Yadav and selector deserve a lot of credit for supporting Ishan Kishan when he was performing well in domestic cricket. Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma joins Vinoo Mankad, Ravi Shastri in the elite group after his 3/17 bowling spell against Zimbabwe.
Ishan Kishan’s incredible transformation
Ishan Kishan has been in great form since his return to the Indian national cricket team under the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav earlier this year. After scoring 35 runs in the first T20I, the left-handed batsman made a strong comeback in the second T20I against Zimbabwe on July 25. Meanwhile, the former Indian opener defended Tilak Verma after his unbeaten half-century against Zimbabwe.
He scored 81 runs with the help of nine fours and two sixes in just 44 balls at Harare Sports Club. Their aggressive innings helped India score 219/5 and then the bowlers did a brilliant job in restricting Zimbabwe to just 129 runs as India clinched the T20 series with a massive 90-run win in the second game.
After Ishan Kishan was named the player of the match for his brilliant efforts, Wasim Jaffer said the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman has made the most of the opportunity given to him after being away from the international arena for almost two years. Ishan also lost his BCCI contract after refusing to play domestic cricket and returning from the South Africa tour.
Wasim Jaffer credits Suryakumar Yadav for Ishan Kishan’s dream comeback
However, the left-hander worked hard in domestic cricket and made a great comeback in the national team. The figures also show Ishaan’s excellent form. So far in 2026, he has scored 783 runs in 22 T20I innings at an average of 35.59 and a strike rate of 180.83 with the help of one century and six half-centuries.
Wasim Jaffer said on his YouTube channel, “Suryakumar Yadav should also be given credit and the selectors also deserve praise for acknowledging his domestic performance. Ishan has repaid the faith shown in him.”
I think he has been a fantastic player since the World Cup and long may that continue. He is in excellent form and we would all like him to continue like this for a long time. Ishan Kishan is going through a bad phase, be it the World Cup, IPL or even after that.
The cricket pundit also pointed out that the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman is now playing with more confidence and looks comfortable at the international level. He also praised the team management for giving Ishan the No. 3 spot and said that the left-handed batsman has settled well into that role.
Jaffer said, “He is batting with tremendous confidence. His leg-side game has always been strong, but I think the kind of confidence that is needed at the international level is clearly visible in Ishan Kishan now. The management has also shown faith in him by giving him the No. 3 batting position, which is an excellent position in the batting order and he is making the most of it.”
Wasim Jaffer gave a big warning to Shreyas Iyer
After losing T20I series in Ireland and England, India won its first series under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer after its dominant win over Zimbabwe in the second T20I. Jaffer said that Iyer has already proved his captaincy ability in the IPL, so there is no doubt about his leadership.
He concluded by saying, “However, there are much bigger challenges coming, whether it’s New Zealand, Australia, or other tough opponents that we will face. I think that’s when we’ll really see how this team performs.”