Ramiz Raja calls Virat Kohli 'modern-day' Viv Richards for boosting Ishan Kishan's morale

Former Pakistan skipper Ramiz Raja has heaped praise on Indian skipper Virat Kohli by calling him 'modern-day' Viv Richards for boosting the morale of youngster Ishan Kishan who had made his international debut during the second T20I against England last Sunday. 

Kishan, who had donned the Indian jersey for the very first time announced his arrival at international cricket in style as he went on to score a match-winning half-century.

'Modern-day Viv Richards': Ramiz Raja

“He (Ishan Kishan) was lucky to have a partnership with Kohli because he is a modern-day great and in my view, he is a modern-day Viv Richards. It would have given Ishan Kishan confidence and we can expect a lot from him in the future,” said Ramiz Raja while interacting on his official YouTube channel.

“He played with freedom and he has come in a great environment where the captain at the non-striker’s end claps on his every shot. He has been given the license that we are changing the direction of our batting and you go and hit sixes and fours. If you get out in the process, no problem", he further added.

At the same time, the 1992 World Cup winner also mentioned that unless one identifies the outstanding performers of IPL and gives them a chance, they will not progress the way they should. Furthermore, the cricketer-turned-commentator/analyst added that India took the chance and it turned out to be great.

Ishan Kishan's performances in the ongoing England T20I series

Ishan had a dream start to his international cricketing career as he scored a match-winning half-century on Sunday night. The southpaw's impactful knock of a 32-ball 56 included five boundaries and four maximums at a strike rate of 175. There were a lot of expectations from Kishan in the third T20I but unfortunately, his stay in the middle did not last too long as he walked back to the dugout after having scored four runs off nine deliveries. The youngster was dismissed just before Powerplay as India found themselves in a spot of bother at 24/3.

The wicket-keeper batsman had to warm the bench during the fourth game where India held their nerves to register an eight-run win. Now, it remains to be seen whether the promising talent will get another chance to prove himself in the series-deciding fifth T20I on Saturday.