'Mere jaisa koi chhakka bhi itni jaldi nahi maar pata hai' - Ishan Kishan's befitting reply when questioned on strike rotation

The Men in Blue, led by Shikhar Dhawan, chased down a good 279-run target in the second One-Day International against visitors South Africa at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi and leveled the series 1-1 to make the final decider game even more intriguing. Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer shared a 161-run stand for the third wicket and led India to a seven-wicket win.

While local boy Ishan Kishan fell short of just seven runs from bagging his maiden ODI century as he was dismissed for an 84-ball 93, Shreyas Iyer (113* off 111) claimed a magnificent century and remained unbeaten till the end of the chase. After Ishan Kishan’s dismissal, Iyer was joined by Sanju Samson and the two shared an unbeaten 73-run stand to win the game for India.

Ishan Kishan addressed the media at the post-match press conference after the second ODI and talked about the victory and the approach to playing the game. When asked about rotating the strike, Kishan had a strong response as he said:

"Rotate karne ki jahna tak baat hai toh wo kuch players ka strength hota hai, kinhi ka strength hota hai chhakka marna. Toh mere jaisa koi chhakka bhi itni jaldi nahi maar pata hai, main bohut asaani se maarta hu. Wo mera strength hai. Toh agar main chhakke se hi kar leta hu kaam toh rotate ka utna sochta nahi hu. (Some players have the strength to rotate the strike, my strength is to hit sixes. I hit sixes effortlessly and not many can do that. If I do the job by hitting sixes, there's no need to think about rotating the strike much)."

If your strength is hitting sixes then go for it: Kishan

Kishan, who narrowly missed scoring his first ODI century by seven runs, was dismissed while trying to knock a six. The southpaw, however, asserted that he would go for the shot if he feels he can smack the ball for a big hit because scoring runs for the team is what is more significant, rather than personal records.

"But haan bohot se aise innings aayenge jahna pe rotation bhi zaroori hoga, jahan pe wickets pehle gir gaye honge toh uske liye bhi practice karna zaroori hai but agar strength chhakka hai aur ball hai maarne layak toh maaro chhakka. (If your strength is hitting sixes then go for it, what's the need of rotating the strike just for the sake of it. But yes there will be a time when rotating the strike would be key with wickets falling at the other end)," Kishan added.