'Tujhe koi kuch bolta hai toh usko bol mujhse aa ke baat kare' - Ishan Kishan reveals how Rohit Sharma infused confidence in him

Ishan Kishan turned the corner in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) by scoring 516 runs in 2020. Initially not preferred in the playing XI, the southpaw got his chances when Saurabh Tiwary injured himself. Kishan grabbed his chances with both hands and displayed a fearless brand of cricket.

The wicketkeeper-batter revealed that it was his Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma who always backed him by giving him the confidence to play aggressively. Kishan made this confession to former India opening batter Aakash Chopra. The southpaw also told how Sharma allowed him to go for a maximum on the very first delivery.

Ishan Kishan finished the IPL 2020 as the highest six getters, and he thanked Sharma for allowing him to play fearlessly. “He keeps everything very simple and doesn’t complicate much. For example, if he feels I have to take more singles, then he won’t say this to me during a match but rather just come to me during practice and say, ‘See Ishan you can hit a six whenever you want so you just focus on taking singles right now. Try and take 5 singles out of six balls,” Kishan said on Chopra’s YouTube channel.

The India wicketkeeper-batter further opined that Sharma always tells him to back his natural style of play and also told him not to worry about the detectors. “He keeps everything very simple and doesn’t complicate much. For example, if he feels I have to take more singles, then he won’t say this to me during a match but rather just come to me during practice and say, ‘See Ishan you can hit a six whenever you want so you just focus on taking singles right now. Try and take 5 singles out of six balls.”

Ishan Kishan vital member of Mumbai Indians

Things didn’t go as per plan for Kishan during the first half of the 14th edition of IPL as he failed to get going for Mumbai Indians at the top. With the UAE leg of IPL set to resume on September 19, the southpaw would like some runs under his belt. A good performance in the IPL will help Kishan stake a claim in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 which is set to begin on October 17.