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Cricket Players‘He just couldn’t get going’: Rohit reveals reason behind animated chat with Ishan Kishan after the match
India captain Rohit Sharma has said that the team management is looking to ensure that the player is given as much confidence as possible and doesn't go into the middle with too much pressure around him.
Ishan Kishan struggled to get going in the first T20I between India and the West Indies and his captain Rohit Sharma said that the team is looking to ensure that the 23-year-old does not walk in with too much pressure on him during matches.
Kishan scored just 35 off 42 balls while Rohit, who opened the innings with him, scored 40 off 19. India eventually won the match by six wickets after which Rohit could be seen talking animatedly with Kishan.
“I have been talking to him for a long time now, from IPL when he played in the middle order for Mumbai Indians, which is not his natural position for him to go out and bat,” Rohit said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
“We saw in Chennai that when the ball was turning and the pitch was slow, he was not able to get going,” said Rohit, referring to the matches Mumbai Indians played in Chennai in the 2021 IPL before the season was postponed and later continued in the UAE.
"We just want to make sure that we give him confidence as to what he needs to do in that middle period. When someone like Virat (Kohli) was batting at the other end, his job was to rotate and look to find that odd boundary. We got off to a flier and it was just about rotating the strike.
“I thought with Ishan, it is just about getting him the game time. Wearing blue and playing for India, there is too much pressure. We want to make sure he doesn't go in with too much pressure around him so it is our job to make sure that whenever he steps in, he is quite comfortable,” said Rohit.
With the win at Eden Gardens, India have gained a 1-0 lead in the three-match series and the second T20I will now be played on Friday at the same venue.
