Ishan Kishan reveals emotional conversation with his father after being called up to the Indian Test team

Ishan Kishan smashed the fastest-ever double century in ODIs where he sent the Bangladesh bowlers scouring for shelter in the midst of some serious heat. He stuck alongside Virat Kohli and the duo posted a display of brilliance in the final ODI of the series.

His swashbuckling strokeplay also paved the path for the Indian hard-hitter to grab a call-up to the Indian Test team after Rishabh Pant was sidelined due to a tragic accident. For any Indian cricketer who is going to wear the Test cap for the first time, no other opportunity stands in front of the mighty Border-Gavaskar series.

Australia will be touring India for a four-match Test series in February where India will need all hands on deck as they will have to register victories in almost three games out of the four that they will be a part of to qualify for the final of the World Test Championship. With such a hefty onus falling on the shoulders of Ishan Kishan, the youngster was visibly a little emotional during an interview with his fellow teammate, Shubman Gill.

Talking to Gill, Ishan said, “I broke the news to my family. My father was super pumped, he said ‘aise hi mehnat karna hai, aise hi practice karni hai (Keep working hard like this, keep practising like this)’”.

He further talked about how his father has always inspired him to play cricket, saying, “When I was playing white ball, he used to keep reminding me about how Test cricket is the real cricket, where a batsman faces the real challenges and his skill in Tests gets tested. To play at that level is a big thing. I was very happy when I got the news of my Test call-up and if I get the chance I will try to perform well for the team.”

When asked about his inclination towards red-ball cricket, Ishan said, “I enjoy playing red-ball cricket. Red ball swings more than the white ball and there is a bit of sledging as well. You have enough time to score runs; situations also fluctuate with every session.”

It will be interesting to see who India go for in the bilateral series against Australia, especially in the longer format of the game, considering the domestic and the recent exploits in the international arcade from both Bharat and Ishan.