No audition but a mission: Ishan Kishan's 28-minute takeover of Navi Mumbai

Speed is an ally of the T20 batter. The faster the ball comes onto the bat, the faster and farther it is smacked. Anrich Nortje likes to operate in the fast lanes. Speeds of 150 kph come naturally to Nortje who bowled one of the fastest balls in the IPL a few years ago.

Extreme speed, though, on a benign surface like the DY Patil stadium can prove to be counterproductive. Especially when you are bowling to a batter who recently went on a rampage against New Zealand bowlers and has been striking over 200 this year.

Norjte bowled just four deliveries to Ishan Kishan, and 6, 6, 4, 6 was Kishan's response. First ball, Nortje fired in a fuller, straighter delivery into Kishan's legs. Kishan happily rolled his wrists and flicked the ball in a relaxed fashion high over the empty fine-leg region into the stands. Next ball, Nortje banged in a short delivery into the hips. Kishan, though, had quickly moved a step inside the line and while balancing himself on one leg, kept his head still to flick again deep into the stands.

Kishan then flat-batted the ball to the straight boundary, a shot that reverberated across the venue. Nortje, chastened and pumped up, went wide of the crease and banged in a sharp, rising delivery aimed at the batter's head. Kishan backed away to fend it off and flashed a big smile as the ball took the top edge of his upward-hanging bat face for the fourth six of the over.

A bowler like Nortje, with his walrus moustache and high speeds, ideally should instill fear and impose himself on the batter. Instead, Kishan landed several blows on Nortje and South Africa.

Though the sample size is small, Kishan displayed his range of shots, bravado and temperament that make him India's first-choice opener along with Abhishek Sharma for the T20 World Cup.

Those four balls encapsulated Kishan's current mental framework and confidence. He used the fast speeds to pick up big runs and thwart Nortje's and South Africa's plans of going aggressive. With his imperious form against New Zealand, which included a breathtaking 42-ball century, Kishan virtually sealed his World Cup spot and pushed Sanju Samson away. That performance, ironically for Kishan, came at Samson's home ground, Thiruvanathapuram.

He brought the same tempo to Navi Mumbai. Kishan swung his bat but got no runs off the first two balls Lungi Ngidi bowled to him to start the warm-up match. He would finish the over with two sixes. Kagiso Rabada, who came on to bowl the third over, is not an easy bowler to hit when he bangs on a hard length, but Kishan moved inside the line and skilfully flicked him over deep mid-wicket for another six.

It was breathtaking batting, downright dominant. In his 28 minutes at the crease, Kishan showed this was no audition. He is on a mission.