'Have to score or juniors will ask, what's the point...': Ishant on Virat Kohli's role in helping young stars

India have kicked off their campaign in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle with a bang. Taking on West Indies, in the two-match Test series opener in the Caribbean island, Rohit Sharma & Co. bundled out the hosts for 150 and are in a commanding position at stumps on Day Two, being well-placed at 312 for 2. Yashasvi Jaiswal, on Thursday (July 13), became the 17th Indian to slam a century on Test debut.

With Jaiswal's Test career getting off to a brilliant start, the Indian team management will be satisfied with the youngster's promising start. In this WTC cycle, the focus has shifted towards the younger lot -- the likes of Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikad, Mukesh Kumar, Ishan Kishan, etc. -- with seniors such as captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and others being in the twilight of their respective careers. Thus, the onus is on the seniors to guide the younger lot for them to cement their spots in the Test line-up.

In this regard, Ishant Sharma spoke about how Kohli could play a key role in setting the standard for newcomers regarding how they should hold themselves. "The most important thing is that if you are a senior player, you will first have to score your own runs or else the juniors will also ask what is the point of you being a senior,” said Ishant, while speaking on JioCinema.

'Virat Kohliknows how to groom youngsters because he has captained the Indian team'

"However, I know that Virat Kohli will definitely score runs because of the mental frame he is in currently and the way he is batting. He knows how to groom youngsters because he has captained the Indian team for so many runs. When young boys came into our team, like Rishabh Pant or someone else, he never told them how to play in a particular situation. He always said that they should stick to their technique and should play the way they feel,” said Ishant, who just like Pant and Kohli represented Delhi domestically.

“If your captain backs you, it becomes a very important thing as a player,” concluded Ishant, who is making his debut as a commentator -- for Jio Cinema -- in the India-West Indies Tests.

Kohli will resume Day Three along with Jaiswal (unbeaten on 143) with an aim to extend India's lead. The former Indian captain is batting on 36 and will be desperate to get a big score under his belt.

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