With world’s fastest ODI double century Ishan Kishan India’s new batting dynamite

NEW DELHI, AFP: Ishan Kishan has raised expectations that India can turn around their flagging white-ball fortunes after the baby-faced assassin blasted the world’s fastest ODI double century and said he could have reached 300.

India have not won an international tournament since 2013 and their 10-wicket loss to England at the Twenty20 World Cup last month prompted much soul-searching. Next year they will host the 50-over World Cup. But on Saturday Kishan, 24, gave India something to cheer about, with the diminutive left-handed opener smashing a 131-ball 210 laced with 24 fours and 10 sixes against Bangladesh in Chittagong.

Kishan only played because skipper Rohit Sharma was injured but he grabbed the opportunity with both hands by producing a 290-run second wicket stand with Virat Kohli to power India to 409-8.

It was the tattooed, earstud-sporting Kishan’s first ODI century and the numbers and records stacked up in Kishan’s knock, the quickest double ODI ton in 126 balls.

An Indian Premier League sensation, Kishan, a wicketkeeper-batsman, was retained by Mumbai Indians for a whopping $ 2 million in the February auction this year.

But he did not set the IPL on fire and with patchy international form missed being part of the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia where India crashed out in the semi-finals to eventual winners England.

Standing at five feet six inches (1.68 metres), Kishan comes from Bihar but played for his neighbouring state of Jharkhand in domestic cricket. He captained India to the 2016 Under-19 World Cup.

His career now gets a new wind with his sensational knock ahead of next year’s 50-over World Cup in India.