How Virat Kohli Inspires Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan became the second-most expensive Indian player of all time in IPL history last fortnight.

The 23 year old has been impressive with the bat for the Mumbai Indians in recent IPL seasons and has reaped rewards for his performances.

This wouldn't have been possible, he says, without the guidance of stalwarts like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

In an interview with The Times of India, the left-hander spoke about his admiration for Virat and Rohit. He recalled a message Kohli sent him during the IPL 2021 season when the Mumbai Indians stumper was down and out with form issues.

'Initially I used to think kuch na kuch achcha hi hoga yaar... bas khelte raho, run banaate raho. But later my point of view changed. When I look at Rohit bhai, Virat bhai and the benchmarks they've set for themselves, that's where I want to head. I want to be as dedicated as they are and emulate them.'

'Earlier I used to think, chalo cricket chal raha hai, everything is good.'

'It took me a while to understand what goes into this whole chalte rehna bit,' Ishan confessed. 'I gradually began picking up things. For instance, the conversation I had with Virat bhai where he said Dus mein se saat cheez tujhe sacrifice karna padega. Little things'.

Ishan Kishan will seen next in action in the three game T20I series against Sri Lanka.