They were standing there for me: Ishan Kishan credits Rohit, Dravid for backing him despite poor form

Young Indian opener Ishan Kishan credited captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid along with senior batter Virat Kohli for backing him during his rough patch in the recently-concluded T20I series against West Indies at home. In the absence of KL Rahul, Kishan was handed the opportunity to open for India in all three T20Is, however, he failed to impress.

Kishan had managed to score only 71 runs in the three matches against West Indies but bounced back to form with a splendid knock of 89 runs in the first T20I against Sri Lanka on Thursday. Kishan looked in phenomenal touch as he took the Sri Lankan bowlers to the cleaners during his brilliant knock.

Opening the batting with skipper Rohit, Ishan scored a stunning 89 runs off 56 balls laced with ten fours and three sixes. The duo posted a 111-run stand for the first wicket before Shreyas Iyer's quickfire 57 off 28 balls helped India post a huge total of 199 runs on the board.

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With his brilliant knock, Kishan also went on to surpass Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul to create the record for the highest individual score by an Indian wicket-keeper in T20Is. The young left-hander spoke about his chats with the likes of Rohit and Dravid and revealed how they always stood by him during his rough patch against West Indies.

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"The seniors in the team always want a youngster to be in good head space. Be it Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid or Virat Kohli, they know how a youngster feels if he doesn't perform well. When I did not perform well against the West Indies, they were standing there with me, telling me 'we know about your talent, we know what you can do for the team. We trust in you. Don't ever think that we are doubting you'," Ishan said at the press conference after India's victory in the first T20I against Sri Lanka.

"When a youngster hears such words, he gets a lot of confidence. These small things while you're batting at the nets, they guide you. They have told me it's not always about hitting hard. We learn all these things whether we score runs or not," he added.

Also Read:Ishan Kishan surpasses MS Dhoni, Rishabh Pant to create new record for Team India in T20Is

Despite facing stiff competition for a spot in the squad, Kishan has managed to get a long rope owing to his talent and skills. He is likely to continue opening the batting for India in the remaining two T20Is against Sri Lanka. If he manages to continue his good form, Kishan can cement his spot in the T20 side in the run-up to the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia this year.