Ind vs Eng 2021: Rohit Sharma told me to play freely the way I do in IPL – Ishan Kishan

India’s greenhorn batsman Ishan Kishan has revealed that his Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma told him to play freely the way he does in the Indian Premier League. Kishan showed no signs of nervousness as he got off to mark with a boundary against Jofra Archer.

Kishan was able to hit the ground running as he played at the top of his game. The southpaw was able to strike the ball cleanly as he took the attack to the opposition. Kishan scored most of his runs on the on-side as he scored five fours and four sixes in his knock of 56 runs from 32 balls.

The left-hander completed his fifty off just 28 balls and also had the rub of the green on his side as he was dropped by England all-rounder Ben Stokes when he was on 40 runs.

“Before the match, I was told to go and open the innings and play freely the way I play in IPL (by Rohit Sharma). I was told not to take extra pressure. But it being, my first game I was a little nervous while going to the ground. But when you wear the jersey of your country that pressure simply goes away and you try to give your best,” Ishan Kishan said in the post-match press conference.

On the other hand, Kishan got the opportunity to bat with the best batsman in the world, Virat Kohli. Kishan and Virat added a fine alliance of 94 runs off just 54 balls after KL Rahul was dismissed for a blob in the first over by Sam Curran. Kishan wants to learn a lot by rubbing his shoulders with Kohli and stated that it was a proud moment for him to bat with the talisman.

“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. The way he talks in the ground takes pressure from you. I just want to make sure that I learn a lot from him in this series,” Kishan said. 

Kishan must have grown in confidence after his superb performance in his maiden match. The left-hander will look to continue the good show in the coming matches and grab his opportunity. The third T20I will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Tuesday.