Lucknow
Struggling for fluency in the previous series, young opener Ishan Kishan has credited India skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid for his return to form in the first T20 against Sri Lanka.
The left-hander, who failed to capitalise on his starts against the West Indies, finally lived up to his Rs 15.25 crore IPL tag with a whirlwind 56-ball 89 in India’s 62-run win over Sri Lanka on Thursday.
“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’.
“They always help you out with small, small things be it your batting grip or the attacking mindset.”
The wicketkeeper-batter, who was bought back by Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians at the recent IPL auction, scored just 71 runs in three matches at a poor strike rate of 85.54.
But skipper Rohit kept his faith in Ishan’s abilities and retained him as an opener for the opener against Sri Lanka
“After playing so much cricket, you get used to the situation. Tough times will come but it’s very important to be in the situation. You don’t get too excited when you score runs.
“Same goes when you don’t perform. So you need to be in a very good space. You need to talk to your seniors, because they are much more experienced than us. So it’s very helpful when I sit with Rohit bhai for a conversation,” added the 23-year-old, who scored his second T20I fifty.
