India wicketkeeper-batsma Ishan Kishan etched his name into the record books during his blistering display in the third ODI against Bangladesh played at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Saturday, becoming the youngest batter to register an ODI double hundred.
Having replaced the injured Rohit Sharma in India’s XI, the left-hander stroked a scintillating 210 off 131, setting it up for India’s dominant 227-run win. He added 290 runs for the second wicket with Virat Kohli after Shikhar Dhawan fell to Mehidy Hasan Miraz in just the fifth over, the partnership being India’s third-highest in the format for any wicket.
Kishan dominated through and through, racing to his maiden hundred off just 85 balls, before storming to the double off mere 126, making it the fastest in ODIs, surpassing Chris Gayle’s previous record (off 138 balls) against Zimbabwe during the 2015 World Cup. The 24-year-old was eventually dismissed in the 36th over, having struck 24 fours and 10 sixes in a monumental feat.
While he revelled in the joy of joining the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma in the list of batters to get ODI double-centuries for India, Kishan felt that a triple too, was in for the taking.
“When I got out, 15 overs were left. That’s 90 balls. If you play 45 balls, it’s easy to get another hundred when you are that set. Bowlers are under pressure. I was in the zone to get 300, but unfortunately I didn’t… But it was special to get my name up there with so many legendary players.
“I was just batting. I was just waiting for the loose balls to come. After a while I thought I am there now. When I was at around 95 or 97, I thought I would score my hundred. After that I was not batting for two hundred. I was just smacking the ball,”
Kishan said.
Kishan further spoke about the inspiration he seeks from the experienced players around him, including Rohit and Kohli, while expressing his keenness to perform whenever the opportunity presents itself.
“I look at other big players. Their fitness, their approach. The way Virat [Kohli] bhai prepares, the way Rohit bhai approaches, I spend a lot of time with Hardik [Pandya] bhai. One thing I have learned is that performance matters but what matters more is preparation and giving 100% for your country even when you are not performing.”
As for Kishan, there might still be no certainty on his place in India’s starting ODI XI despite his brilliance on Saturday, once Rohit returns to join Dhawan in what has been one of the most prolific opening pairs in the format. There’s Shubman Gill too, who has excelled in the limited opportunities he has got.
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