It has been eleven months since Ishan Kishan played for India. A T20I in Guwahati, against Australia, is the last 26-year outing for the national team. He has come a long way from the set-up and experienced the terrain on the domestic circuit to impress the important people. again. Since taking a break for personal reasons during the tour of South Africa last year, the netminder recharged his batteries during a long camp in Baroda along with Hardik Pandya earlier this year and has not missed a game since.
Starting with the DY Patil T20 tournament, he started taking those baby steps and has become a regular in the domestic team. The Indian Premier League, the Buchi Babu multi-day tournament for Jharkhand, the Duleep Trophy, the Irani Trophy and now the Ranji Trophy, the left-hander has played in every competition on offer.
Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy hundreds helped him get back to his named scheme. India A squad for the Australian tour.
For the 26-year-old who is used to seeing his name on the Indian squad sheet, the A’s call has been special and he is hungry to play to get back into the senior team.
In the exclusive chat with TimesofIndia.comThe wicketkeeper-batter talks about his time away from the game, the practical advice he received from Hardik and how he rediscovered his hunger in Baroda. Quote:
What’s the first thing you think of when you see your name on there India A squad. You are used to seeing your name in the Indian squad but will this be different?
Obviously very special to me. I’m really happy because it’s another opportunity for me to go there and perform with a lot of great players that come on the tour. So happy about getting my name back and everything back.
Exactly one year ago, everything could have gone right for you. You are a part of almost every side of India. What kind of headspace were you in at the time?
I am a person who likes to perform for the team, likes to stay happy and likes to help people around. Looking back, when I see my name in every squad, I’m very happy, but I feel like I should have done more for the team. I’m never satisfied with a performance… I’m always thinking of something better. I’m always in the frame of mind. I used to like it, and now too.
I think hunger is very important. It’s also when you rest, when you can’t play many matches. It’s a time when hunger kicks in and you’ll also see batters come in and just go bang, bang. It’s something that I feel is missing, but I’m very happy with whatever is happening now.
For a youngster, playing in the 50-over World Cup is always special. Everyone wants it, but few can experience it. You played both games when Shubman Gill was ill, making useful contributions in the game vs Afghanistan. How was the World Cup experience?
The World Cup is the biggest tournament I’ve played. I think this is what dreams are made of. I hope we win the final as well because we have been very thorough throughout the tournament. Since junior high school, I never bothered about batting position. You have to play for the team and do whatever it takes at that point. Even if they ask you to play in a certain number, you should be open about it. I feel like you’re ready to perform and you just want to perform when you put on that blue jersey. You don’t think about whether you are batting at No. 3 or No. 4. You just think about opening the score and focus on doing that.
At that time, I just thought to do my best wherever I played. I want to adapt to the situation and get used to talking to senior players in the team who have performed well in that position. You get that experience from other players and just go out and play your game. When you play for a country, you cannot ask for a specific number. Whatever place or position you get, you have to be ready to take it.
To be ready to bat anywhere for the team, you need to be mentally ready for the challenge. How much work has gone into keeping yourself in the right mental headspace?
Every individual is different. I guess not everyone will think that way. I feel quite lucky that my mindset is very practical. I am a very practical person. I have spent a lot of time with Hardik (Padya) and you also know that he is very practical. What is needed, is needed. You don’t have to cry at all… So I’ve started thinking like that too.
At a very young age, I was taken by Mumbai Indians and I have been friends with Hardik for a long time now. So I know how he thinks and I know he also wants me to be a good player so he keeps sharing ideas with me. I’m in a very practical zone right now. Even if you go out, it’s not like I start thinking ‘ye kya ho gaya (what just happened), how will I now do in the next game’.
WATCH: Ishan Kishan’s mother and grandmother showered love when he went to Australia
You have to find a neutral point where even if you count a hundred, you have to be very calm. Even if you go out early, you need to stay grounded. You have to find the right balance. I am very lucky to have a man like Hardik around me who has spoken for me about it. There are times in cricket when you feel really down. And not just for me, but for every cricketer. But once you find that neutral point, you’ll get over it. Skills are always there, it’s just about your mentality. How do you deal with things at that time. I have been very fortunate to be in a very healthy zone throughout my career.
There is a lot of chatter on social media, and there is also a lot of negative chatter. Does it affect young people like you? How do you deal with it?
I think the negativity will be on social media. People will troll you if you don’t do well and that’s totally normal. I think every athlete needs to accept that this is going to happen and you shouldn’t make too much of a fuss about it. I think you should be happy too because at the end of the day, you know what when you do then the same people will praise you too.
The same goes for Hardik. People also dismissed him, but he just did his job, performed well in the World Cup and now you can see the results. So this is what it should be… negativity will be there but you have to find a neutral point so you take everything in a very sporty way.
You can’t control social media. Jo bhi chalega… it’s okay. I think you shouldn’t be on this social media too much. When I talk to young people who join big teams, I tell them the same thing to try and stay away from social media.
So have you turned off your notifications to get away from it all?
I know everything, I haven’t turned off the news. There will be times when people will be rude to me… I feel that I have finally performed well for my film (laughs).
You can’t control social media. Jo bhi chalega… it’s okay
Ishan Kishan
You talk about the advice you got from Hardik. If you could talk in detail about your time with the Pandya brothers in Baroda, far from it all. How important is it and how beneficial is it to you?
I did a reality check in Baroda on my hunger for the game and the process was great. When I was in Baroda, it was not like I was only batting. It was like starting life again, cricket again. The same hunger I had when I played Sunday to Sunday as a kid. We used to crave for the match and then wait for Sunday.
In Baroda, we have plans and routines. I do yoga a lot and meditate a lot. It’s not like I just live in his place. There was a time when my parents were there and I spent a lot of time with them and it felt great. I’m not in the negative zone because I’m not on the team. I was in a very healthy place training twice a day for one month. I have to bat only after a month and before I used to wake up early to meditate and used to see the sunrise. Very happy.
I used to crave batting in Baroda also during practice because batting happened only after a month of practice. It was the best time of my life. The IPL didn’t go well, but that was a huge learning for me, that no matter what you do, it’s not always going to work out. There will be a time when God will test you and at that time you must be very firm in your life. Very practical and very grounded.
You have to keep playing the game because at the end of the day, there is a lot of competition. Everyone wants to play for India and I am very happy for everyone who plays for the country. There is so much healthy competition that you start enjoying it and don’t take it as additional pressure.
From the company’s DY Patil tournament to India A, you take all the necessary steps to get into the Indian team. Does it feel like hitting the reset button or wanting to make your country debut again?
I didn’t think about that line (hits the reset button). I’m feeling really hungry right now and I know I’ll just smack the bowlers if I get another chance. I’m going to join them all. I am very hungry to get an international match. I know what happens in team meetings when someone comes back to the team. What a light banter happens and I’m also very happy about that. If I get the chance, I will definitely go all in.
A lot has happened on your journey in the last six to eight months. Did the boy grow into a man during this time?
Well, I’ve grown a lot in the past few months. The way I look at this game now… my perception of this game is very different from the previous one. The banter will continue… but now I know where to stop so it doesn’t interrupt my game. I’m in a more mature headspace now and the break taught me a lot about that. I spent the best time of my life.
Will the loud, fun and games continue?
Hasi mazaak for chalta rahega (Loudness is bound to happen) but I think you have to have a line where you know it’s over now and you have to get back into your focus zone and just think about your game.
Does the family also feel that the little one has grown up. Your father loves your cricket, does he feel it too?
I feel it ok, grandma. My father is a man who doesn’t know what he feels. I know he is happy now. There were times when he was very worried. As a sportsman, I know that if you take some decisions, the people around you, who love you, will get hurt. Mainly because they don’t understand your reasons and plans.
And I think that’s what helps you become a man from a boy… when you start calling and you know what’s important to you at a certain point. Everything is fine now, dad is also happy with the phone call I made because he also knows it won’t be easy for me. Going back wouldn’t be easy, my father knew. They are very happy now, very happy and very excited about the future. I’m also excited about the future as you now understand raat bhar dad ke saath baith kar kisi story par maza kar sakte hai.