IND vs WI: "Virat Kohli Backed Me And Told Me Go And Play Your Game" - Ishan Kishan Reflects On Batting At No. 4 In Second Innings

Young wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan revealed that Virat Kohli supported him to bat at the No. 4 position in India’s second innings on Day 4 of the second Test against the West Indies. Ishan Kishan’s statement came after his maiden half-century in the longer format of the game.

Ishan Kishan was promoted in the batting order to score runs quickly before the declaration. The left-handed batter made the most of the opportunity and scored a quick-fire half-century. The southpaw smashed an unbeaten 52 runs off 34 balls, including four fours and two sixes.

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Virat Bhai Took The Initiative – Ishan Kishan

Speaking after the fourth day’s play, Ishan Kishan admitted that Virat Kohli took the initiative and told him to bat up in the order.

“Was really special. I knew what the team needed from me. Everyone backed me. Virat backed me and told me go and play your game.

Let’s hope we will finish the game tomorrow. It was Virat bhai who took the initiative and told that I should go in,” said Kishan.

The Rohit Sharma-led team scored 181 runs for the loss of two wickets in 24 overs. Rohit Sharma scored 57 runs off 44 balls with the help of 5 fours and 3 sixes.

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We Wanted A 370-380 Target – Ishan Kishan

The 25-year-old batter said that the team management took the strategic decision to score quickly against slow left-armer Jomel Warrican.

“There was a slow left-armer who was bowling. It was a good call for the team. Sometimes you need to take these calls. We had the plan that we will play 10-12 overs after the rain break and score 70-80 runs. We wanted a 370-380 target,” he added.

Earlier, the West Indies started the fourth day’s play with a total of 219/5. The hosts struggled with the bat and lost their last five wickets for just 36 runs. Mohammed Siraj was the standout performer for India, picking up five wickets for 60 runs.

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