Even Kevin Pietersen didn’t hit me like that with a reverse switch hit, the way Ishan Kishan did: Harbhajan Singh

Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has heaped praise on the Jharkhand keeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who has been in the form of his life, scoring two consecutive centuries in domestic white-ball cricket.

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Notably, Kishan, who scored an exceptional century in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Final, made his way to the Indian squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, replacing Jitesh Sharma at the very last moment.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Bhajji strolled down memory lane when he was involved in an exhibition match against Ishan Kishan in Mumbai. He went on to highlight Kishan’s skill by drawing a striking comparison with the former England batter Kevin Pietersen.

“He’s (Ishan) small in stature, but he hits such big shots. I had already recognized his talent earlier. I had come to play a match with him once. I remember it clearly, it was an exhibition match in Mumbai. I was bowling. I bowled one ball a little slower, and he played it slightly late towards the covers. The next ball he went down on one knee and hit it for a four there. Then I said to myself, okay, now I won’t bowl slow to him, I’ll bowl fast. I bowled a fast delivery. The ball was a bit wet. But the moment the ball left my hand, he went down and played a reverse sweep. I remember that very clearly," Harbhajan Singh said on his YouTube channel.

“I said, this guy is an amazing player. I mean, even Kevin Pietersen didn’t hit me like that with a reverse switch hit the way this young boy did. I said, this is a special talent. After that, recently he wasn’t in the team, but as I said, I’m really happy to see him back in the side because he has a lot of power. He is a very, very strong player. He’s young, but he plays with great maturity,” he concluded.

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