Virat Kohli's advice that changed the game for West Indies vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood

West Indies cricketer Jermaine Blackwood took the lid off how a conversation with India skipper Virat Kohli changed his mindset and helped him improve his batting in Test cricket.

The West Indies vice-captain who ame face to face with Virat Kohli during the India vs West Indies Test match in 2019, stated that he has spoken to the Indian skipper a few times on social media.

"I talked to Virat Kohli a few times as well on social media. The last time India toured the Caribbean, I had a chance to talk to him in Jamaica when I was there subbing," Blackwood told ESPNCricinfo remembering the match in which he was taken into the team as a concussion sub for Darren Bravo.

Blackwood said that he asked the Indian skipper about not being able to convert his fifties into tons.

"So after the game, I just had a small conversation. I asked him about how I have a lot of half-centuries and [only] one century. He just said, 'What will you do when you score a century? How many deliveries did you face?' I said I faced 212 balls,” said Blackwood.

Furthermore, the right-handed batsman told how Virat Kohli then advised him not to think about the runs and instead bat as long as he can.

"He said, 'That's it, once you can bat some balls, you're going to score runs'. So I took a big thing from that. After that conversation, I tell myself that once I can bat over 200 or 300 balls, the way I bat, I can score runs regardless of who I am playing against or where I am playing," he added.

Jermaine Blackwood, who was highest run-getter for his side in their last two-Test series in England and New Zealand, also revealed how he worked hard to get into the Test team.

"I think I have been out of the West Indies team for almost three years," he said on his routines while being away from the national team. "On the sidelines, I did some work on my mental space. I trained twice a day and hit the gym every day. I put in a lot of hard work to be as fit as possible. I tried to come back as strong as possible. You can see the results. I am better at my shot selection, I am starting to understand my game very well, [and] I want to continue to do the same going forward."

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