During the successful West Indies tour, Ishan Kishan, the wicketkeeper-batter, impressed everyone by scoring half-centuries in all the ODI matches. Notably, his half-century in the third ODI allowed him to join an exclusive club that includes cricketing greats like MS Dhoni, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Mohammed Azharuddin.
He became the latest Indian batter to achieve this feat in a bilateral ODI series. During the match, he had a humorous interaction with former India opener Aakash Chopra, who was commentating on the game, when a stumping appeal was being reviewed.
“It’s quite rare to review stumping and run-out dismissals. So far, I see the feet on the ground. You might be from Ranchi, but you’re not MS Dhoni,” Aakash Chopra joked on-air.
Ishan heard this comment through the stump microphone and playfully responded, “Ha, fir thik hai. (Then it’s okay)”
“How sweet, Ishan. We love you,” replied Chopra, appreciating the light-hearted banter.
The incident was captured on video and shared by Chopra himself. Due to his outstanding performances throughout the series, Kishan was named the Player of the Series. However, he expressed some disappointment with his finishing in the matches. He acknowledged the advice from his seniors, stating that he should have capitalized on his good starts and scored bigger runs.
We love you, Ishan 🤗 @JioCinema #WIvsIND #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/UnzHz1pth1
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) August 1, 2023
He vowed to improve and ensure that he converts his starts into substantial scores in future games. Kishan emphasized the importance of getting set in the middle and learning from previous matches to continually grow as a player.
He also praised his teammate Shubman Gill, acknowledging Gill’s impressive ability to time the ball, which boosts Kishan’s own confidence. Winning at this level was crucial for Kishan, and he emphasized the significance of learning from every game.
The team’s focus was on upcoming tournaments, with the aim of performing well and potentially changing their lives through excellent performances. While not thinking too far ahead, Kishan and the team were determined to give their best in the present and take one game at a time.
