'Virat asked me what I was going to do? I said, I'm going to bat, I'm going to score runs. He laughed and said, "Abbey jaa na".
Indian pacer Ishant Sharma recalled scoring his maiden Test half-century against the West Indies back in 2019 at Kingston, Jamaica, and how he faced some teasing from his skipper and childhood friend Virat Kohli, who jokingly asked him to just "play the ball".
Ishant spoke of the friendly banter in a video released by Gujarat Titans -- his IPL side.
Speaking on his half-century, Ishant said, "Oh, that is a special one, scoring my first 50. I was very relaxed as I talked to Virat sitting with my feet on the table. And he asked me what I was going to do? I said, I'm going to bat, I'm going to score runs. He laughed and said, "Abbey jaa na (get lost)". Obviously, being Delhi boys, we have played together since childhood. And then he said, go man, just stand there and play the ball. (Hanuma) Vihari will score runs."
Looking back at his partnership with Vihari, Ishant said that he told Vihari to play his normal cricket and assured him that he would not "throw his wicket away".
The 36-year-old pacer also recalled how tired and sweaty he was after playing 60 balls, something he had not experienced even while bowling long spells in Tests.
"Vihari and I were batting. I told him to keep playing normal cricket. Don't worry, I would not throw my wicket away, I promised him. And we built a useful partnership," he reminisced.
"And after playing 60 balls, I got tired. Then they (the Indian camp) sent out a message saying we were not going to declare the innings. We want you to continue batting. And I'm telling you guys, I had never sweated that much, even while bowling. So, it was a tough day for me."
India were 302-7 when Ishant joined Vihari in the middle and formed a crucial 112-run stand. He scored 57 off 80 balls with the help of seven fours.
India won the match by 257 runs and sealed the series 2-0.
Ishant, who has 311 wickets from 105 Tests under his belt, is India's sixth-highest Test wicket-taker. His last Test was against New Zealand in November 2021.