India vs Eng: Ishan Kishan open to playing any position; lauds Rohit Sharma for mentorship

After being picked up by the BCCI for the national squad in the ongoing T20I series against England, young wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan who had wrecked carnage for Mumbai in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) opened up on his maiden India call-up and how he was ready to play for the country at any given position.

"It's always difficult to make it to the team, but that's how it's always been. I don't mind playing anywhere, having switched between playing in the middle and top-order in my career so far," Ishan said in an interview with Wisden as quoted by Mumbai Indians. "I feel more confident to play under pressure and I think the various domestic formats, India A games help you do well in that situation," he added.

During the last edition of the IPL, Ishan Kishan had turned out to be the highest scorer for Mumbai when he smashed a mammoth 516 runs in the tournament. Carrying forward his form from the IPL 2020, he led Jharkhand to a massive 324-run victory in their Vijay Hazare Opener where he also notched up the third-highest score by a wicketkeeper-captain in List A cricket smashing 173 runs off 94 balls. 

Crediting Indian limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma and Mumbai's Director of Cricket Operations, Zaheer Khan for their guidance, Ishan remarked that it was a person's 'hunger and dedication to do well' that helped you get across the line. "It's amazing to have mentors like Rohit bhai and so many others in the dressing room, you get to learn so much and adapt your game accordingly. The Mumbai Indians stint is the bedrock of my cricket. The mentorship I received from the coaches and Rohit and Zaheer bhai helped me," he added.

England triumphs over India in opening T20

After being put to bat first in the first India Vs England T20I, India failed to pick up the game with its top-order being dismissed cheaply as England continued bowling wicket-taking deliveries limiting their score to a respectable total of 124/7. England on the other hand got off to a good start piling up runs, striking hard, and bagging frequent boundaries. Ultimately the visitors finished off in style defeating India by 8 wickets to go 1-0 up in the 5-match series. 

India and England will continue to battle it out for 4 more matches on March 14, March 16, March 18, and March 20 at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.

(With Agency Inputs)