It Virat bhai who took the initiative - Ishan Kishan speaks on his promotion up the batting order in the 2nd Test

Ishan Kishan was in feisty touch against West Indies in the second innings of the second Test at Trinidad, smashing the bowlers as he came out to bat at No.4, ahead of Virat Kohli. It was more of a tactical shuffle in the batting order to fit India's plans in the exact situation that they were in, which eventually worked out really well. 

He hammered a rollicking half-century from just 34 balls, clobbering four fours and two humongous sixes, helping India to score with ease before they could finally declare. At the end of his innings, Kishan reserved special thanks for Kohli in his post-innings speech, crediting the former Indian captain for giving up his position.

Talking about the support he got from the team, Ishan said, "Was really special. I knew what the team needed from me. Everyone backed me. Virat backed me and told me to go and play your game. Let's hope we will finish the game tomorrow."

He shed light on the exact conversation that happened in the dressing room before he came out to bat, stating, "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."

Kishan also talked about his exact preparations for a knock like this, also crediting Rishabh Pant's role, as he added, "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. I was at NCA before this. Pant was also there. He knows how I play. We have known each other since under-19 days. I also wanted someone to advise me and luckily he was there to tell me something about my bat positioning. There are so many senior players who keep talking to the bowlers."

Ishan concluded by talking about the need of the hour for India and how his parents supported him, adding, "It should be a good game tomorrow. We need to hit the right areas and important to get early wickets. It was one of my dream to get into the whites. I just wanted to go in and hit every ball. Mostly thankful to my parents who have always supported me."