Team India has a healthy crop of wicketkeeper-batters in the bag. Ever since MS Dhoni bid goodbye to international cricket, the likes of Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, and Sanju Samson have impressed with their skillsets. At the same time, Dinesh Karthik, who had made his debut even before Dhoni, has recently made a comeback into the side.
Each one of them has proven his match-winning abilities but when it comes to consistency, they aren’t on the same page. Former India captain and legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev believes that all of them are equally good wicketkeepers but in terms of being consistent, Karthik leads the list while Sanju disappoints the most.
Speaking of Ishan Kishan, the 1983 World Cup-winning captain opined that the youngster is under a bit of pressure, especially after bagging an IPL contract worth Rs 15.25 crore. Ishan was purchased by Mumbai Indians in the mega auctions earlier this year. The 23-year-old scored 418 runs at an average of 32.15, with three half-centuries, better than his last season’s numbers, many felt that he underperformed this year. – many felt he underperformed.
“With Ishan Kishan is feeling the pressure of ₹15 crore tag. Sometimes we don’t agree but the fact is that when you hit the jackpot, this can happen. It is good that he got so much money at the IPL auction. No franchise is not stupid enough to shell out such a huge sum. They know that this player is talented and hence, have expectations. But sometimes a player feels that pressure,” Kapil told ABP Uncut in a recent interaction.
Kapil cited the example of former all-rounder Yuvraj Singh from the 2014 season of the IPL. The left-hander was bought by Delhi Daredevils (Now Delhi Capitals) for a whopping sum of ₹14 crore. In that season, he amassed 376 runs in 14 games, including three fifties and had an average of just above 34.
“We saw Yuvraj also stuttering under the pressure of a huge price tag. Even he felt it. The same with Dinesh Karthik, and Pathan brothers… they all got big money. So sometimes getting a lot of money puts pressure on the player’s performance. And at the same time, there are youngsters who are under no pressure and play fearlessly,” Kapil pointed out.
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