"He said, abbey jaa naa...": Ishant recalls hilarious banter with Virat before his maiden Test fifty

New Delhi [India], August 31 (ANI): Indian pacer Ishant Sharma recalled scoring his maiden Test half-century against the West Indies back in 2019 at Kingston and how he faced some teasing from his close friend and teammate Virat Kohli, who jokingly asked him to just "play the ball".
Ishant spoke about this hilarious banter and his first-ever batting milestone in international cricket on the official X handle of the Gujarat Titans (GT).
Speaking on his half-century, Ishant said, "Oh, that is a special one. Scoring my first 50 against the West Indies. I was very relaxed. I think that was in Jamaica. I was very relaxed, talking to Virat, putting my feet up on the table. And he said, what are you going to do? I said, I'm going to bat. I said, I'm going to score runs. He was laughing and said, "Abbey Jaa Na". Obviously, being a Delhi boy, we played together since childhood. Under 17s, we started playing together. And then he said, go man, just stand there and play the ball. (Hanuma) Vihari will score runs."
Recalling his partnership with Vihari, Ishant said that he told Vihari to play his normal cricket and vowed not to "throw his wicket". He also recalled how tired and sweaty he was after batting for 60 balls, something he did not experience much while bowling at such a fast pace.
"Vihari and I were batting. And then he was asking, what should I do? I said, just keep on playing normal cricket. Do not worry, I would not throw my wicket. So, we built a partnership," he recalled.
"And after 60 balls, I got tired. Then they (Indian captain etc) were saying, we are not going to declare. We want you to bat. And I am telling you guys, I never sweat that much. Even while bowling. How much I sweat after batting for 60 balls. So, it was a tough day for me after batting," he added.
Coming to that match, India was 1-0 up in the series and was playing the second Test to complete a series win. After WI elected to field first, they had India at 202/5 at one point, despite a half-century each from Virat (76) and Mayank Agarwal (55). When India was 302/7, in walked Ishant, forming a 112-run stand with Vihari (111 in 225 balls, with 16 fours) and scored 57 in 80 balls himself, with seven fours. India reached 416 in their first innings and sealed the match by 257 runs, with the pacer also getting three wickets across both innings. After Ishant scored his fifty, it was Virat who could be seen laughing with immense joy on his face and cheering for one of his closest friends in cricketing fraternity.
In 105 Tests for India, Ishant took 311 wickets at an average of 32.40, with best figures of 7/74, including 11 five-wicket hauls and a ten-fer. He is India's sixth-highest Test wicket-taker ever, and last played a Test match back in November 2021 against New Zealand.
The lanky pacer has played all three formats for India, taking 434 wickets in 199 matches at an average of 32.35, with best figures of 7/74. He is India's tenth-highest wicket-taker in international cricket. (ANI)