It has been eleven months since Ishan Kishan played for India. A T20I in Guwahati, versus Australia, was the 26-year-old’s last outing for the national side. He has been away from the set-up and undergoing the grind in the domestic circuit to impress the men who matter. Again. Since taking a break for personal reasons during the South Africa tour last year, the wicketkeeper-batter recharged his batteries during a long camp in Baroda alongside Hardik Pandya earlier this year and hasn’t missed a game since.
Starting with the DY Patil T20 tournament, he started taking those baby steps and has been a regular fixture in the domestic team. Indian Premier League, Buchi Babu multi-day tournament for Jharkhand, Duleep Trophy, Irani Cup and now the Ranji Trophy, the left-hander has played every competition on offer.
Hundreds in the Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy helped him force his way back into the scheme of things as he was named in India A squad for the tour of Australia.
For a 26-year-old who was accustomed to seeing his name on India squad sheets, the A call has been special and he is very hungry to play to return to the senior side.
In an exclusive conversation with TimesofIndia.com, the wicketkeeper-batter talks about his time away from the game, the practical advice he got from Hardik and how he rediscovered his hunger in Baroda. Excerpts:
What were your first thoughts when you saw your name in that India A squad. You have gotten used to seeing your names in India squads but this would have felt different?
Obviously very special for me. I am very happy about it as it’s another opportunity for me to go there and perform with a bunch of great players coming on the tour. Very happy about getting my name back and getting everything back on track.
Exactly a year back, everything which could have gone right did go right for you. You were part of almost every Indian side. What kind of headspace were you in back then?
I am someone who loves to perform for the team, loves to stay happy and loves to help people around. Looking back, when I used to see my name in every squad I was very happy but I felt I needed to do more for the team. I was never satisfied with the performances… I always used to think about doing better. I was always in that frame of mind. I was happy back then, and right now also.
I feel hunger is very important. It comes when you take rest also, when you don’t get to play so many matches. That is the time when that hunger kicks in and you would have also seen batters going in and just going bang, bang. That’s the thing I felt was missing sometimes but I am really happy about whatever is happening right now.
For a young boy, playing a 50-over World Cup would have been special. Everyone wants that but very few get to experience. You played two games when Shubman Gill was sick, made a useful contribution in the game vs Afghanistan. How was the World Cup experience?
The World Cup was the greatest tournament I have been part of. I feel this is what dreams are made of. I wish we won the final too because we had been so meticulous throughout the tournament. From my junior days, I have never been fussed about my batting position. You have to play for the team and do whatever is required at that given point. Even if they ask you to play at a certain number, you have to be open about it. I feel that is the level where you are ready to perform and just looking to perform whenever you wear that blue jersey. You don’t think whether you are batting at No. 3 or No. 4. You just think about scoring runs and focus on doing that.
At that point, I just thought of doing my best no matter where I played. I was looking to adapt as per the situation and used to talk to senior players in the team who have performed well in that particular position. You get that experience from other players and just go out there and play your game. When you are playing for your country, you can’t ask for a particular number. Whatever place or position you get, you have to be ready to take that.
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 feel not everyone would think like that. I feel I am lucky enough that my thinking pattern is very practical. I am a very practical guy. I have spent a lot of time with Hardik (Pandya) and you also know that he is a very practical guy. What’s needed, is needed. You don’t have to cry about everything… So I have also started thinking like that.
At a very young age, I was picked 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 great player so he keeps sharing ideas with me. I am in a very practical zone right now. Even if you get out, it’s not like I start thinking ‘ye kya ho gaya (what just happened), how will I now perform in the next game’.
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You need to find that neutral point where even when you score a hundred, you have to be very calm. Even if you get out early, you have to stay grounded. You have to find that right balance. I am very lucky to have guys like Hardik around me who have spoken to me about it. There are moments in cricket where you feel really down. And it’s not just for me, it’s for every cricketer. But if you find that neutral point, you will get over it. Skills are always there, it’s just your mental thing. How you are dealing with things at that point of time. I have been very lucky to be in a very healthy zone throughout my career.
There has been a lot of chatter on social media, and a lot of negative chatter too. Does it affect a youngster like you? How do you deal with it?
I feel negativity will be there on social media. People will troll you if you don’t do well and that is very normal. I feel every sportsperson should accept that this is going to happen and you shouldn’t make a huge fuss about it. I feel you should enjoy that also because at the end of the day, you know what when you perform then the same set of people will praise you also.
That happened with Hardik also. People were trolling him also but he just did his work, performed well in the World Cup and now you can see the result. So this is how it should be… negativity will be there but you have to find that neutral point so that you take everything in a very sporting way.
You can’t control social media. Jo bhi chalega… it’s okay. I feel you don’t have to get too much into this social media also. When I speak to younger guys who are getting into big teams, I tell them the same thing to please try and be away from social media.
So have you switched the notifications off to be away from all this?
I am very well aware of everything, I haven’t switched the notifications off. There will be times when people will go harsh on me… I feel at the end of the day when I perform it’s good for my movie (laughs).
You can’t control social media. Jo bhi chalega… it’s okay
Ishan Kishan
You spoke about the advice you got from Hardik. If you could talk in detail about the time you spent with the Pandya brothers in Baroda, away from everything. How important was that and how much did benefit you?
I had a reality check in Baroda about my hunger towards the game and the process was just too good. When I was there in Baroda, it was not like I was just batting. It was like starting your life again, your cricket again. The same hunger which I used to have when I used to play Sunday-to-Sunday as a kid. We used to crave for matches then and used to wait for a Sunday.
In Baroda, we had a plan and a routine. I used to do a lot of yoga and do a lot of meditation. It was not like I was staying only at their place. There was a time when my parents were there and I was spending a lot of time with them and feeling very grounded. I was not in a negative zone because I wasn’t in the team. I was in a very healthy space training twice a day for one month. I got to batting only after a month and before that I used to wake up early to meditate and used to see the rising sun. It was so much fun.
I used to crave for my batting in Baroda also during training because batting happened only after a month of training. It was the best time of my life. IPL didn’t go that well but it was a very big learning for me that no matter what you do, everything will not go your way. There will be times when god will check you and that’s the time you have to be very stable in life. Very practical and very grounded.
You have to keep playing your game because at the end of the day, there is so much competition. Everyone wants to play for India and I am very happy for everyone who is playing for the country. There is so much healthy competition that you start enjoying it and don’t take it as additional pressure.
From the corporate DY Patil tournament to India A, you took all the steps needed to get to the Indian team. Did it feel like pressing the reset button or looking to make your debut for the country again?
I am not thinking on those lines (pressing the reset button). I feel very hungry right now and I know I will just smack the bowlers whenever I get the opportunity again. I am going to go all in. I am very hungry to get an international match. I know what happens in team meetings when someone makes a comeback to the team. How light banter happens and I am very excited about those things also. Whenever I get that opportunity, I am going to go all-in for sure.
A lot happened in your journey in the last six-eight months. Has the boy grown up into a man during this period?
Yes, I have grown up a lot in last few months. The way that I now look at this game… my perception about this game is very different from what I had before. The banter would continue… but now I know where to stop so that it doesn’t disturb my game. I am in a more mature headspace now and the break taught me a lot about it. I was spending the most quality time of my life.
Will the banter, fun and games continue?
Hasi mazaak to chalta rahega (banter will always happen) but I feel you need to have that line where you understand now it’s done and you have to get back to your focus zone and just think about your game.
Did the family also feel that their little boy has grown up. Your father is very passionate about your cricket, did he feel that too?
I think feel to hota hi hoga. My dad is someone who doesn’t share a lot of things about what he is feeling. I know he is happy now. There was a time when he was very worried. As a sportsperson, I know when you take some decisions then people around you, who love you, will get hurt. Primarily because they wouldn’t know the reason behind it and your plan behind it.
And I think this is what helps you become a man from a boy. When you start taking your calls and you know what’s important for you at a particular point. Everything is good now, dad is also happy about the calls I am taking because he also knows it’s not going to be easy for me. The comeback is not going to be easy, my dad knows that. They are very happy right now, very cheerful and very excited about the future. I am also excited about the future because now you know raat bhar dad ke saath baith kar kisi story par maza kar sakte hai.