Ishan Kishan acknowledged the intensity of competition for slots in the Indian squad and emphasized the need to capitalise on limited opportunities to the maximum. He did exactly that in the third One Day International at Chattogram on Saturday when he made the fastest-ever double century in men’s one-day internationals in just 126 balls.
With his 210 off 131 balls, featuring 24 fours and 10 sixes, Kishan drove India to 409-8 in the absence of injured skipper Rohit Sharma and eventually, to a 227-run win over Bangladesh. India lost Shikhar Dhawan for three in the fifth over after being invited to bat first, but Kishan hit back with a string of boundaries and took control of the innings with Virat Kohli.
Speaking in the post-match press conference, Kishan said, “Many big players are playing in different positions. It’s all about performance and I can’t complain that I want to bat in this position. It is such an opportunity if you get you need to score big because you will get just one or two matches to show your potential. A big player emerges like this only, he cashes on the opportunity which he gets.”
“I don’t think about whether I will play the next match or not. My job is to give my best when I get an opportunity. I don’t want to talk much, I just want my bat to do the talking.”
“But I have scored a double hundred, so you never know,...” he joked.
Being ‘in the zone’
Kishan is only the fourth Indian batter to score an ODI double ton after Rohit – who has done so three times – Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. Kishan admitted to being ‘in the zone’ to score even bigger but spoke about where he faltered and hoped to improve that next time.
“When I got out, 15 overs were left,” Kishan said. “That’s 90 balls. If you play 45 balls, it’s easy to get another hundred when you are that set. Bowlers are under pressure. I was in the zone to get 300, but unfortunately I didn’t. I will make sure that when I am at this stage, I won’t give up my wicket, I’ll just go for it. But it was special one to get my name up there with so many legends.”
Batting with Kohli
India’s 409 was their fourth-highest men’s ODI score and the highest-ever total against Bangladesh by any team. Along with Virat Kohli, who made 113 and brought up his 44th ODI century, he stitched a 290-run partnership for the second wicket – the seventh-highest partnership in this format.
“I am happy that I got an opportunity to bat along with him but I hadn’t imagined that it would be such a big partnership at that time,” Kishan said about the partnership with Kohli. “I got to learn a lot of things batting with him. It is a good learning experience at the non-striker’s end because one gets to watch the calmness of players and how they use the bowlers, who tries what from one end and why.”
“I don’t usually talk much in the middle but since it was Virat bhai I was trying to converse as much as possible with him so that I can learn. I hope to build many more partnerships with him,” he added.
Source of motivation
When asked about the source of motivation for him to excel at the highest level, he cited the examples of senior players in the Indian team saying, “I look at the big players. Their fitness, their approach. The way Virat [Kohli] bhai prepares, the way Rohit bhai approaches...”
He added: “I spend a lot of time with Hardik [Pandya] bhai. One thing I have learned is that performance matters but what matters more is preparation and giving 100% for your country even when you are not performing. One thing I have learned from watching them is whatever opportunity I get, I don’t want any regrets once it is done. I want to be prepared and ready to perform.”
Quotes courtesy: PTI and ESPNCricinfo