"He said, 'Abbey jaa na'" - Indian pacer recalls fun interaction with Virat Kohli ahead of scoring maiden Test half-century

Veteran Indian pacer Ishant Sharma recalled his fun interaction with Virat Kohli ahead of scoring his maiden Test half-century in a video shared on social media. The 36-year-old revealed that he had confidently told Kohli that he was going to score runs, but was asked by the then-captain to 'play the ball'.

Ishant registered his only Test fifty against West Indies at Kingston, Jamaica in 2019. Coming in to bat at No. 9 in the first innings, he compiled a defiant 57 off 80 balls, hitting seven fours in his 126-minute stay at the crease. The tailender added 112 runs for the eighth wicket with Hanuma Vihari (111).

In a video shared on the X handle of Ishant's IPL franchise, the Gujarat Titans (GT), the lanky fast bowler recalled some memories of his maiden Test fifty. He commented:

"Oh, that is a special one, scoring my first 50. I was very relaxed as I talked to Virat sitting with my feet on the table. And he asked me what I was going to do? I said, I'm going to bat, I'm going to score runs. He laughed and said, 'Abbey jaa na (get lost)'.

"Obviously, being Delhi boys, we have played together since childhood. And then he said, go man, just stand there and play the ball. (Hanuma) Vihari will score runs," the Delhi cricketer went on to add.

Ishant's defiant knock came to an end when he holed out to deep midwicket while trying to take on Kraigg Brathwaite. India put up 416 in the first innings and went on to win the match by 257 runs.

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"I had never sweated that much" - Ishant recalls stand with Vihari in India-West Indies 2019 Jamaica Test

Sharing another interesting anecdote from the exact match in Jamaica, Ishant recalled that he got tired after playing 60 balls and started sweating profusely. He added that since the team did not want to declare, he had to continue batting. The veteran fast bowler admitted:

"And after playing 60 balls, I got tired. Then they (the Indian camp) sent out a message saying we were not going to declare the innings. We want you to continue batting. And I'm telling you guys, I had never sweated that much, even while bowling. So, it was a tough day for me."

Ishant has claimed 311 wickets in 105 Tests at an average of 32.40, with the aid of 11 five-fers. His last match for India was the Kanpur Test against New Zealand back in November 2021.