“Raised bat after Virat told me to, it felt like an order” : Ishan Kishan on scoring 50 in his debut match
Talking about scoring 50 in his debut T20I match in an interview taken place after the match with Yuzvendra Chahal, opener Ishan Kishan revealed that he didn’t realize he has reached his fifty. “After a fifty, I usually don’t raise my bat,” He continued. “Virat bhai shouted from behind ‘Raise your bat and show it to everyone’. Only then I raised my bat because I felt like it was an order,” Ishan said.
Ishan Kishan opened up on his innings on debut against England. The young player blissfully became just the second Indian player to score fifty on the T20I debut, with his 32 balls 56 which earned him the player of the match reward.
The 22-year-old earned a lot of appraisal for his amazing performance, where a bemusing moment showed him getting all shy after reaching his fifty. Ishan Kishan didn’t raise the bat initially but seemed to follow Virat Kohli and celebrated the moment later.
He cleared the air about the same when he later appeared in an interview with Chahal’s famous TV show ‘Chahal TV’ on bcci.tv. Chahal asked the youngster if he was nervous, but he revealed a hilarious anecdote about the situation which explained the actions.
“No, I wasn’t nervous. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I had reached my fifty. When Virat bhai told me ‘Top innings’, that’s when I realized. But after a fifty, I usually don’t raise my bat, but Virat bhai shouted from behind ‘Raise your bat to all the four corners of the ground. Show it to everyone, it is your first match. Very good.’ Only then I raised my bat because I felt like it was an order!”
The young opener was asked how he paced his innings and he credited his seniors for supporting and helping him throughout. When asked about the leg-spinner, Kishan admitted sheepishly that Yuzvendra Chahal had an important role in his knock as well.
“Before the match, all the seniors such as Virat bhai and Hardik Bhai advised me to enjoy my batting. Plus, before going in to bat, you (Chahal) came and gave me some tips about how I should take time to settle and play freely as I do in the IPL. So, that’s the only thing I thought, that I have to keep Chahal bhai’s word.”
After the match, Chahal asked Ishan about his feelings about making his debut with scoring fifty and he shared how happy he felt to be given a chance and thankful for the belief everyone has shown in him.