Ind vs WI: Kishan shares Dravid's words of wisdom after MI star bagged whopping deal at IPL mega auction

The IPL 2022 mega auction was a successful two-day event, held in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13. After the end of the mega auction, Ishan Kishan finished as the most expensive player; being bought back by the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise for a whopping INR 152.5 million (INR 15.25 crore).

Ishan wasn't retained by the Rohit Sharma-led MI franchise ahead of the mega auction. However,his rise in stature and wide range of shots ensured that he was re-acquired by the five-time champions MI in the mega auction. Ahead of the India-West Indies T20I series, on Wednesday (February 16), the 23-year-old Ishan revealed the advice he got from head coach Rahul Dravid post the auction proceedings.

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“It’s [auction] done. Had a good chat with Rahul sir also. [He]asked us to just focus on what we are doing right now. Obviously, IPL is a big platform for everyone, and people get happy when they go to good teams. But the focus is on this series,” Kishan told the host broadcaster before the T20I encounter on Wednesday.

“I’m the happiest when I open the innings, but looking at the situation and what the team asks me to do, I’m okay with my role and comfortable batting anywhere. It’s a big six-hitting ground (Eden Gardens, Kolkata) but that’s my strength, I can clear any ground on any day. I have to go there and watch the ball, be clear about what my role is and what the team needs me to do," the 23-year old further highlighted.

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Talking about Ishan's performance in the first T20I, the swashbuckling left-hander wasn't at his fluent best and managed a 42-ball 35 in India's chase of 158. Being asked to bat first, Kieron Pollard-led WI managed 157/7 -- with debutant Ravi Bishnoi and Harshal Patel taking two scalps each -- before India chased down the total with 7 balls and 6 wickets to spare. Rohit's 19-ball 40 and Suryakumar Yadav-Venkatesh Iyer's finishing skills enabled a 1-0 lead for the hosts.

The second and penultimate T20I will be played at the same venue on Friday (February 18).