Young wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan revealed that batting maestro Virat Kohli backed him to bat at the number 4 spot in the second innings of ongoing Test match against West Indies at Port of Spain. On Day 4, Ishan was promoted to bat at number 4 – Kohli’s batting position, and the southpaw didn’t disappoint. He smashed unbeaten 52 runs off 34 balls to help India score at a rapid quick rate in the second innings to give bowlers ample time to bundle out West Indies in the second innings.
Kishan came out to bat after Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dismissals as he joined his good friend Shubman Gill in the middle. The duo took on the West Indies bowlers and smashed them all around the park to put the hosts under pressure.
The southpaw shared an unconquered 79-run stand with Gill (29 off 37). He made the opportunity count with a power-packed effort comprising four boundaries and a couple of sixes.
After the day’s play, Kishan revealed the message from Kohli who advised to promote the southpaw in the batting order as India needed to score quick runs in the session.
“It was really special (the half-century). I knew what the team needed from me. Everyone backed me. Virat backed me and told me ‘go and play your game’. Let us hope we will finish the game tomorrow. It was Virat bhai who took the initiative and told me that I should go in. There was a slow left-armer who was bowling. It was a good call for the team. Sometimes you need to take these calls,” said Kishan after the day’s play.
“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.
