Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], March 15 (ANI): Young batsman Ishan Kishan, who had a dream start to his international career on Sunday, feels leading a side has evolved his game and has helped him understand the situations more precisely.
Ishan captained Jharkhand in the Vijay Hazare Trophy before joining the national set-up for the England series. The left-handed batsman smashed a sensational fifty in the second T20I against England on Sunday to help India lever series.
“As a captain, you cannot just play your normal game, you have to assess the situation. So it’s a challenging situation. There are some games where you go out to start and smacking the ball from the word but as a captain, you can’t do that as players look towards you as an example,” Ishan said in a virtual press conference.
“So captaining has helped me in my batting, in understanding the situation, trying to finish the game. But I make sure if I get set in upcoming games, I will finish the games,” he added.
Ishan won’t mind batting at any position as he feels playing according to a situation is more important in international cricket.
“You don’t have a fixed spot in a batting lineup when you play international cricket. You keep on floating at different batting positions. So I never think of the batting number, I just play the situation,” said Ishan.
Virat Kohli and Ishan both scored magnificent half-centuries to help the hosts secure a seven-wicket win over England. Ishan said the India skipper took the pressure off him during the innings.
“It was a proud feeling for me because I had just seen him (Kohli) on TV, his attitude on the ground, but to see it from the other end is totally different. I think it is something which I can change in myself, his energy, his appearance on the ground, there is a lot to learn from him,” said Ishan.
“The way he talks in the ground it takes pressure from you. I just want to make sure that I learn a lot from him in this series,” he added.
Ishan, who plays for Mumbai Indians, also said that facing world-class bowlers during the Indian Premier League (IPL) helped him build his confidence.
“It obviously helped in the nets. They are very pacy bowlers and to hit shots against them gives confidence. In IPL you get to face quality bowlers from across the world and you start getting used to these bowlers. And I think that really helped me,” said Ishan.
The five-match series is currently tied 1-1. The two teams will now take on each other in the third T20I on Tuesday. (ANI)
