Ishan Kishan believes staying a little bit longer at the crease in the final ODI in Chittagong on Saturday could well have made him the first-ever to score a triple century in ODI cricket.
When the left-handed top-order batter departed on 210 off just 131 balls, there were still 85 balls remaining in India’s innings.
“When I got out, 15 overs (14.1 to be precise) were left,” Kishan said at the post-series news conference. “If you play 45 balls of those remaining ones, it’s easy to get another hundred when you are so well set. Bowlers, too, are under pressure.
“I was in the zone to get even a 300, but unfortunately I didn’t. Nonetheless, it was truly a special one to get my name up there with so many legends.”
What’s more important for the 24-year-old is how well he keeps preparing even when opportunities aren’t coming his way. “I look at the other big players. Their fitness, their approach. The way Virat (Kohli) bhai prepares, the way Rohit (Sharma) bhai approaches, while I spend a lot of time with Hardik (Pandya) bhai.
“One thing I have learnt is that performance does matter. But what matters more is preparation and giving 100 per cent for your country even when you are not performing. Another thing I have learnt from watching them is whatever opportunity I get, I don’t want any regrets once it is done. I want to be prepared and ready to perform,” Kishan emphasised.
Kishan doesn’t want to pick and choose his position in the batting order. He’s ready to bat anywhere. “Everyone who comes here has earned the right to be here with their performances.
“They have all batted in different positions to get here. So I can’t complain that I want to bat only at a certain position,” he said. “At this level, if you get a chance, you have to make the most of it.”
