“Rohit Sharma told me to play freely and express myself as I do in the IPL” - Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan has acknowledged the confidence shown in him by India teammate and Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma. Riding on the back of a successful IPL season, Ishan Kishan finally earned a well-deserved national call-up for the T20I series against England.Ishan Kishan was named the player of the match on his international debut. Representing the Indian cricket team for the first time in the 2nd T20I against England, the 22-year-old played a brilliant knock of 56 runs off 32 deliveries. His knock helped India win the match and level the series 1-1.

On being asked whether his Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma played a part in his blockbuster debut, Ishan Kishan replied that the experienced campaigner asked him not to take extra pressure and just express himself.

“Rohit bhai told me you’re going to open, do not take tension. Play in the same manner as you do in the IPL and try to express yourself. It was already imprinted in my head,” Ishan Kishan said.

“Though I was a little nervous while walking out to bat but when you realize you’re wearing the national colors, the pressure is released. All you want to do is give your best and that’s what I tried today,” he added.

Ishan Kishan had a great IPL 2020. The young southpaw scored 516 runs during the tournament held in the UAE at a sensational average of 57.33 and a strike rate of 145.76.

"Captaincy has helped my batting": Ishan Kishan on taking responsibilities

Ishan Kishan is no stranger to taking on responsibilities – he’s the captain of the Jharkhand team. He went on to admit that the experience of captaincy has helped him adapt to situations much better than before.

“Personally, I’d say it helps because as a captain, you can rarely play your normal game. You have to know what the situation is and figure out ways to help the side. You often end up challenging yourself.

"Quite often, there are matches when you want to smack every ball from the beginning but as a captain, you have to restrict yourself because all the other players are looking up to you as an example. Captaincy has helped my batting and strategizing how to finish a game," he said.