Indian team wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan slammed his first half on just 33 balls in his quest for fast runs on Day 4 of the 2nd Test against West Indies at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Kishan praised fellow Mumbai Indians teammate and captain Rohit Sharma and thanked him for providing him with a “comfort zone”.
“He’s a very experienced captain. He gives his best, how to keep the players in the comfort zone, don’t let the pressure get the better of the players. In fact, when I came out at bat (in the second innings in Port of Spain) he said ‘play your game, plan your innings and don’t think who said what,'” Ishan Kishan said during a post-game media interaction on Monday.
“For a youngster, it’s a huge advantage that the captain trusts you, that I can handle the situation,” he added.
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I got advice from Rishabh Pant at NCA: Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan says Rishabh Pant, the man he replaced in the India Test squad for the West Indies tour, gave him useful advice during his time at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Pant is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the NCA after suffering a horrific car accident last December.
“He’s known me since the U-19 days… How I play, how I think, so we keep interacting. What I think he needs to do to improve, I tell him and it’s the same with him. He also tries to help me and make sure I perform at my best on a tour. And I’m very grateful that he gave me good points at the NCA.
“Obviously he did very well in the tests, and the number we beat… Rishabh’s bats, it’s very important for us to understand the situation. If four wickets come down fast and a partnership is required, we can’t play this fast-scoring game. Overall, we have to keep the game in mind… What we have to do at that time because it’s a five-day game and the last day is very important. And, planning and execution is the most important aspect. important part of Test cricket,” Kishan added.
Just #RP17 pi things. #IshanKishan __ pic.twitter.com/GNBG5UEx7x— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) July 24, 2023
Kishan prefers to play Test cricket depending on the match situation, adding that “bazball” should not become the model to play every five-day match. Kishan, who made his Test debut on the West Indies tour, scored a T20-style half-century in the second leg of the second Test shot here as the need of the hour was to score quickly and set up an imposing goal for the hosts.
India scoring at 7.54 per over on Day 4 of the Second Test (they said at 181/2 in 24 overs) caught the attention of pundits who asked Ishan at the post-match press conference if this was the way India would play Test matches in future, much like England, whose aggressive style of play was dubbed “Bazball”.
“You don’t have to come every day and start playing fast cricket. It should depend on the situation. The condition of the pitches also plays a role in how quickly you can score runs,” said Kishan, who was promoted to the batting order to score quick runs on day four of the second Test.
Kishan scored a 34-ball 52 to help India set up a winning target of 365 points for the West Indies, but rain spoiled the party on Sunday’s fifth and final day to prevent India from sweeping the two-game series. “Most of the time where we play the wickets are not that easy… There are turns and rebounds. So playing fast on those surfaces is useless because you have to read the wicket correctly.
“If you get a wicket where you can score quick runs and the need of the hour is to do that, then every player in the (Indian) team has the capability to play that role. The type of players we have and the number of formats and games we play, everyone knows their role – which game one has to play which way.