Watch: Kohli consoles desperately out-of-form Ishan Kishan ahead of T20 WC

Watch: Virat Kohli was seen consoling a despondent Ishan Kishan after the latter’s low returns in the Indian Premier League, which have cast a doubt over his spot in the T20 World Cup squad.

Following yet another failure in the IPL against India skipper Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians’ Kishan was seen in low spirits as questions swirl around his spot in the T20 World Cup side. The wicketkeeper was dismissed for 9 off 12 by Yuzvendra Chahal on Sunday, which was his sixth score of less than 20 in eight innings in the 2021 season of the edition. Overall, he has scored just 107 runs at an average of 13.37 with a strike rate of 86.99

After a phenomenal season last year, where he helped Mumbai Indians to their fifth title by scoring 516 runs at an average of 57.33, Kishan was selected for the national team, making his debut against England earlier this year. He started off his international career with a blistering half-century on debut. However, he has not managed a score of more than 28 since then, including in his lone T20I appearance against Sri Lanka in July. Nonetheless, Kishan’s potential helped him earn a spot in the side for the T20 World Cup, but his form remains a huge concern ahead of the multi-nation event, which starts on October 17.

With teams allowed time till October 10 to make changes to their 15-member squad, Kishan’s place could be in jeopardy. Aware of the pressure on the young gun, Kohli walked up to the visibly dejected left-hander after the RCB-MI clash, consoling Kishan by putting his arm around his shoulder in a bid to motivate him.

After the 54-run loss, Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma too spoke highly of Kishan. “He is a talented player. He’s had a terrific IPL last year. We want to back his natural game which is why he came up the order above Surya. I don’t want to put too much pressure on the guy. He is relatively young, making his way in international cricket.”