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Rediff.com  » Cricket » 'I told everyone I would hit a 6 on the first ball'

'I told everyone I would hit a 6 on the first ball'

By Rediff Cricket
July 19, 2021 11:55 IST
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Ishan Kishan

IMAGE: Ishan Kishan sends the ball to the boundary. Photograph: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters
 

Ishan Kishan makes international cricket look easy.

On Sunday, the left-hander made his ODI debut during the first India vs Sri Lanka game in Colombo and left an instant impact as he smashed the second-fastest half-century scoring 59 runs in 42 balls on debut in ODIs.

Kishan became the first India batsman to score fifties on debut in both T20Is and ODIs.

Kishan's confident knock was summarised by the fact that despite playing his first ODI, he smashed the first ball he faced in the match for a six. He came to bat in the 6th over after Prithvi Shaw was dismissed, and he struck Dhananjaya de Silva for a big one.

Speaking to Ajay Jadeja after the match on the Sony Sports Network, Kishan revealed that he had told everyone he was going to hit first ball for a six.

'Actually, everyone knew it, inside also I had already told everyone that once I go, wherever the first ball is, I will hit it for a six. Because the odds were in my favour -- birthday plus a good pitch and I was playing my first ODI and I felt I could target him,' he said.

'The most special thing was that it was my birthday and I was playing my first ODI. Everyone asks for a return gift, so I always wanted to give it by playing a good knock and helping the team win,' he added.

Ishan turned 23 on Sunday, July 18 -- he shares the birthday with W G Grace, Dennis Lillee, Smriti Mandhana and Manan Vohra.

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