"You need to create a mountain" - Aakash Chopra on whether Ishan Kishan's knock in 1st T20I will help his chances for the T20 World Cup

Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra feels Ishan Kishan needs to do a lot more to seal his place in Team India's T20 World Cup squad.

Kishan smashed 76 runs off just 48 balls in the first T20I against South Africa on Thursday, June 9. The diminutive wicketkeeper-batter seemed to be back to his explosive best during the knock, which was studded with 11 fours and three sixes.

During an interaction on Star Sports, Chopra was asked if Kishan's knock will help his chances for the T20 World Cup squad. He replied:

"To begin with, the T20 World Cup is way too far away for this innings to have a significant impact with regards to his selection. In my opinion, it's a good start but it's just a start, just the tip of the iceberg, you need to create a mountain if you really want to go that far."

However, the cricketer-turned-commentator was appreciative of the attacking knock Kishan played in the first T20I. Chopra elaborated:

"Yes, he has been brilliant, he actually took the attack to the opposition. I loved the way he batted on a seemingly difficult pitch after not starting that fluently but then there are far too many games and the World Cup is too far away."

Kishan took the attack to the Proteas bowlers from the word go. Although he struggled to middle the ball at the start, the southpaw grew in confidence as his innings progressed and was particularly aggressive against left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj.

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"Once you get the start, make it count" - Aakash Chopra on his advice for Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan is fearless in his batting approach [P/C: BCCI]

Chopra was also asked about his advice for Kishan. He responded:

"Personally, I wouldn't say anything to him. He has batted beautifully in the first game itself. It's a five-match series, make the most of it, once you get the start, make it count."

The 44-year-old concluded by stating that Kishan should not compromise on his strike rate in an attempt to play substantial knocks. Chopra observed:

"But having said that, the flip side of that story is that the moment you start focussing on making it count and making it into a really long innings, you tend to stop focussing on the strike rate. I think he batted beautifully, just replicate as many times as you can the innings we saw in Delhi. It's not going to be easy, there will be a few failures but then it will hold him in good stead."

Chopra replied in the negative when asked if he sees Kishan opening for Team India in their first T20 World Cup 2022 encounter against Pakistan. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul are likely to be the Men In Blue's preferred openers at the global event.