Ishan Kishan has been included in India's squad for the first two Tests against Australia.
While most of the picks were on the expected lines, there was one notable inclusion in the squad that caught everyone’s attention.
Ishan Kishan, who slammed a record-breaking ODI double ton against Bangladesh last month, earned his maiden Test call-up as the wicketkeeper in the 17-member squad.
In an interaction with teammate Shubman Gill for bcci.tv, Kishan shared his first reaction on receiving maiden Test call-up and also revealed that his father was elated by his selection.
"I am very happy. Whenever I was doing well in white-ball cricket my father used to say that Test cricket is the real deal. He says that Test has the real challenges, it tests the skills of batters and it is a big thing to play Test cricket," the southpaw spoke about his father's reaction.
"I am very happy to make it to the Test team, because people perceive it as the real game. I will try hard to do well," he added.
"I called home and told them the news. My dad was hyped up and told me to work hard like this," he further said.
After returning from the Bangladesh tour, Ishan Kishan also played a couple of Ranji Trophy matches for his state team Jharkhand and registered scores of 132, 22, 13 and 13 over four innings.
“I love playing with the red ball. The ball swings a little, people sledge, you have time and there is less pressure and that is why I love playing," Kishan spoke about his time with the Ranji team.
The swashbuckling left-hander also said that he has a more mature approach towards red-ball cricket.
"In my batting position at Tests, it is important to understand the situation. If I go in the middle and play like I usually do (hitting bog shots), that would let down the team," Ishan stated.
"I have the experience now that rather than hitting sixes, you try to get the team in a good position by playing sensibly.
"There's a big difference in white and red ball cricket. In white ball the ball does not swing that much, but with red ball you have to use your brains more and you cannot keep showing off your youngster enthusiasm," he remarked.
Being a wicketkeeper-batter, Ishan Kishan has a good chance of finding a spot in India’s Test XI against Australia given the unavailability of Rishabh Pant, who met with a horrific car accident last month.