- Shamser Khalid
Ishan Kishan Pranks Tom Latham in 1st ODI
In the first ODI between India and New Zealand on Wednesday, India's Ishan Kishan was seen playing a prank.
The prank was on stand-in New Zealand skipper Tom Latham and took place during the player’s first delivery from Kuldeep Yadav.
The Indian wicketkeeper was seen knocking down the bails with his hands despite the batter having played the shot. While the prank was caught on camera, the decision was still referred to the third umpire, who rightfully ruled it not out.
Sources say that the prank was likely due to what happened in the first innings of the match. When Hardik Pandya was dismissed by Daryl Mitchell’s bowling, replays suggested that Tom Latham's gloves may have dislodged the bails. The replays were far from conclusive, but the third umpire ruled in favour of the visitors.
The moment Kishan was caught, it seemed like his prank was taken in good humour, and there were laughs all around.
This is not the first prank that the wicketkeeper has pulled. Ishan Kishan previously made the headlines for different pranks over the years. His pranks are also not limited to other cricket players.
The last time a prank by Kishan was caught on camera was during the Rajasthan Royals (RR) VS Mumbai Indians (MI) clash in April 2021. At the time, Kishan did not play on the field. He did, however, found a way to cause mischief. While team coach Shane Bond was having a serious conversation with the broadcasters during MI’s first innings, Ishan Kishan was seen cheering the team on in the dugout.
At one point in the discussion, the camera caught Kishan throwing some ice at the MI bowling coach before proceeding to act as if nothing had happened. Kishan was not the only one to throw ice. Kiwi all-rounder James Neesham and other players also took a shot.
Initially, it seemed like the coach was unfazed by the ice-lobbing. The players, however, were clearly seen laughing as they threw the ice.
When Bond was asked by Nick Knight whether he was enjoying his time with the team, Shane Bond replied, “It’ll be better if I wasn’t getting ice thrown at the back of my head from these muckers behind!”
Before this, Deepak Chahar and Ishan Kishan made the news in 2018 for a prank on teammate Shunhman Gill. The prank was caught on video and shared by India A bowler Deepak Chahar on his Instagram.
The footage showed Chahar and Kishan trying to prank a sleeping Gill during a flight. Chahar was seen trying to put a peanut inside Gill’s mouth while he was napping. Kishan then shoved the nut inside, leaving Gill surprised.
Ishan Kishan is a former captain of the U19 team who led them to the final of the junior World Cup in 2016. During the 1st ODI between India and New Zealand, he scored five runs from fourteen balls. In the end, India finished their innings with 349/8 and won by 12 runs. India will play their next ODI against New Zealand on January 21, Sunday.
