India wicket-keeper batsman Ishan Kishan was on song in the first T20I of the series against Sri Lanka after he notched up 89 in 56 deliveries in Lucknow. The left-handed batter credited Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for showing confidence in him.
“Always a senior player would want a youngster to be in a good head space. Be it (coach) Rahul (Dravid) bhai, Virat (Kohli) bhai or Rohit bhai, they all have passed this phase. They are aware how we feel when we don’t perform well,” Ishan said at the post-match media interaction.
“I didn’t do well against the West Indies. They always told me that they know about my talent and what I can do for the team. ‘We trust in you. Never ever you think that we are doubting your abilities’.
Ishan further talked about his interaction with Rohit in the nets and how the skipper explained to him to focus on rotating the strike.
“He (Rohit Sharma) always keeps telling me that ‘you can hit whenever you go out there in the middle. The important thing for me where I was erring was about rotating the strikes, and taking singles,” he said.
“Obviously he has helped me out in those areas, especially when I’m batting at the nets. He keeps telling me to try how to rotate the strike. ‘You can hit anyway, but it’s about rotating the strike and keeping the bowlers under pressure’, he would say,” he added.
India took 1-0 lead in the series after defeating Sri Lanka convincingly by 62 runs. The hosts posted 199/2 in 20 overs and then restricted to visitors for 137/6.