NEW DELHI: They may be competitors for the one wicketkeeper-batsman slot in the Indian playing XI but the camaraderie that the swashbuckling left-handers share was evident when Ishan Kishan thanked Rishabh Pant after the end of play on Day 4 of the second Test against West Indies at Port of Spain in Trinidad on Sunday.
Promoted up the order ahead of Virat Kohli, Kishan smashed 2 sixes and 4 fours, bringing up his fifty with a six to stay unbeaten with a 52-run knock off 34 deliveries as India declared their second innings at 181/2 to give the Windies a 365-run victory target.
The BCCI shared a video of Ishan talking after the day's play saying, "I was at NCA before coming here, I was practicing there and Rishabh was also there for his rehab, he just got few points for me, he asked me do you know the bat position and everything because he has seen me playing with him, we have played together so many matches, we are together since Under-19, so he knows how I play, what my mindset is, so he just helped me a little bit with my bat position and everything. I also wanted someone to tell me a few things about my batting and it was a great time for him to come and chat with me and really thankful for that."
Ishan made his Test debut in the first Test against the West Indies in Dominica. He had scored just 1 run when Rohit Sharma declared the first innings and India went on to win the match by an innings and 141 runs inside 3 days.
But this time Rohit waited for Ishan to get to his to his maiden Test fifty and declared on the next delivery after his Mumbai Indians teammate got to the landmark.
1/10:2nd Test, Day 4: Ashwin boosts India's series sweep bid vs Windies
AFP
2/10:Ravichandran Ashwin
<p>Ravichandran Ashwin snared two wickets to reduce West Indies to 76/2 after being set a daunting victory target of 365 on Day 4 of the second and final Test. </p>AP
3/10:Mohammed Siraj
<p>A day packed with action at Queen's Park Oval in between short, sharp showers saw Mohammed Siraj scything through the lower half of the home side's first innings in the morning to earn his team a 183-run lead. </p>AP
4/10:Fiery fifties
<p>Blistering half-centuries by India captain Rohit Sharma and wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan then facilitated a swift second innings declaration at 181/2 off just 24 overs. </p>AP
5/10:Ashwin double strike
<p>Ashwin removed home skipper Kraigg Brathwaite to a top-edged sweep and then had debutant Kirk McKenzie lbw without scoring. </p>AP
6/10:Tagenarine Chanderpaul
<p>The obdurate Tagenarine Chanderpaul, very much in the mould of his celebrated father Shivnarine, stayed to the close with vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood. </p>AFP
7/10:Best Test figures
<p>At the start of the day, Siraj claimed the last four wickets to finish with his best Test figures of 5/60 as the West Indies crashed from overnight 229/5 to 255 all out, their last five wickets tumbling for just 26 runs.</p>AFP
8/10:Rohit Sharma
<p>Rohit Sharma then led the rush for runs with a 35-ball 50 before lunch. </p>AFP
9/10:Yashasvi Jaiswal
<p>Rohit fell for 57 while his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal was a casualty of a similarly attacking 38 in the three overs which were bowled in the afternoon session. </p>AFP
10/10:Ishan Kishan
<p>That was the cue for Ishan Kishan to play his natural game and the left-hander did not disappoint, belting an unbeaten 52 off 34 balls with four fours and two sixes embellishing his maiden Test half-century. </p>AFPAt Stumps on Day 4, West Indies were 76/2 needing 289 more runs for victory to prevent a series sweep by India.
