IPL / Virat Kohli consoles Ishan Kishan after RCB defeat MI, pics go viral

Cricket Desk: In Mumbai Indians' (MI) title-winning campaign last season, Ishan Kishan established his name as one of the brightest young talents in the country. The wicket-keeper batsman had finished the season as the competition's fifth-highest run-scorer with 516 runs to his name at an impressive average and strike rate of 57.33 and 145.76. The fact that the runs came batting in different positions made the feat even more impressive with his versatility earning a lot of praise. 

These runs earned him an India call-up and it took him no time to hit the ground running on the international level. The 23-year-old scored a half-century on both his T20I and ODI debuts against England and Sri Lanka respectively. These performances have proven good enough to earn him a spot in India's 15-man T20 World Cup squad. 

Ishu almost cried 😕 pic.twitter.com/82LUj7GVcg

— Neil💫 (@RohitsBoy) September 26, 2021

However, the current IPL campaign has been a complete contrast to the glorious 2020 season for Kishan. The former India U19 captain has struggled to make any impact at all with the bat in both the India and UAE leg. So far, this season, he has only scored 107 runs in eight innings at a disappointing average of 13.37. 

With less than a month left for the World Cup, his form is set to worry the Men in Blue's team management. Indian captain Virat Kohli is evidently concerned and was seen consoling the youngster after Royal Challengers Banglore's (RCB) victory against Kishan's MI. Kohli was seen giving a pep talk to a visibly distraught Kishan on the ground. 

Even MI captain Rohit Sharma offered words of reassurance for Kishan in the post-match presentation. He said "He's 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. Don't want to put too much pressure on the guy. Relatively young, making his way in international cricket."

Kishan, scored just nine runs before Yuzvendra Chahal dismissed him as the defending champions stumbled to a 54-run defeat against RCB. MI find themselves sitting in 7th place on the table with just eight points to their name after 10 games. They will be next seen in action on Tuesday when they face Punjab Kings in Abu Dhabi.