Ishan Kishan calls himself a "mama's boy". But he was the 'big daddy' of IPL auctions and he's back at the Mumbai Indians, a franchise that went all out to buy him for `15.25 cr. "I didn't want to go anywhere else," he says. The 23-going-on-24 player sat down for a chat with TOI about his cricket.
Excerpts from an extensive tete-a-tete:
It's been a grand homecoming for you with Mumbai Indians...
The franchise has always been very helpful, has backed me and worked on me. I can never have complaints. All I need to do is work hard on my game, reciprocate by playing good cricket. The way they've put their belief in me and invested in my future, all I need to do is follow the processes that have been laid out.
How confident were you on the auction eve that you'll return?
I knew MI would go for me. That wasn't the worrying bit. The worrying part was the rising price because MI needed to save on money to build the rest of the team. It wasn't just about me. For a minute there, I must admit, my heart skipped a beat. There's a reason why I wanted to come back to MI. They know me, they understand my game and I know my franchise and how it works. Because I've been part of this family, I was sure I didn't want to go anywhere else. I've been here four years and the bonding has been amazing. We've won two trophies, stood for each other and with each other, they know my cricket and I know they will take care of me. So, I didn't want to go anywhere else.
(BCCI/IPL Photo)
Okay, sum-up Mumbai Indians in a para...
Family, now more than ever and that puts so much trust into a relationship when you know that there is an ecosystem. It's an amazing feeling. Best part of being at MI is you're not with them just for those two months of IPL where you come, play, and leave. There's a proper programme designed for you, you get all the help and support you need, your diet, supplements, training everything.
Look at Alzarri Joseph. When he was with MI and suffered a shoulder injury and the next four to five months, MI took care of him. They invest in the cricketer. Look at Dewald Brevis and the age at which he's landed at the Mumbai Indians. I can vouch for a fact that when he leaves from here, he'll be a much better player.
What are your aspirations now?
Initially I used to think "kuch na kuch achcha hi hoga yaar... bas khelte raho, run banaate raho". But later my point of view changed. When I look at Rohit bhai, Virat bhai and the benchmarks they've set for themselves, that's where I want to head. I want to be as dedicated as they are and emulate them. Earlier I used to think "chalo cricket chal raha hai, everything is good". It took me a while to understand what goes into this whole "chalte rehna" bit.
I gradually began picking up things. For instance, the conversation I had with Virat bhai where he said "Dus mein se saat cheez tujhe sacrifice karna padega". Little things.
(Mumbai Indians Twitter Photo)
Tell us something about Ishan the wicketkeeper...
Obviously, I want to play every game as a wicket-keeper-batsman. But we have Rishabh, who's done so well for the team. So, I must make do with the opportunities I get, which is fine with me. Competition is always a healthy thing.
Is Rishabh a friend?
Oh yes, he's a very good friend. Whenever both of us are around, you'll find us hanging out a lot with each other. We just keep watching movies whenever we find the time. We also talk a lot of cricket with each other - about the game, what could've been done differently. I speak my mind with him, and he does the same. Never once has it crossed my mind that I want his place and I can assure you, that's been the case with him too. And most importantly, when we are in the middle of our cricket routines, we don't even think we're competing with each other.
When you have good competition going with a talented player, there's great fun to it too. You begin to realise those important things all by yourself -- play good cricket and everything else will take care of itself. I love wicket-keeping so whenever an opportunity comes, I'll try and give it my best.
(BCCI/IPL Photo)
Who's your sounding board?
Family. Mom, papa, my brother. No matter what the circumstances, talking to family always helps. I'm a mama's boy (laughs). I'll call mom first because I know the moment I speak with papa, coaching will begin right there on the phone. Coaching toh har dad ka hota hai na. Every dad is like ye mera wala technique follow karo, dekho kaise sau banega'. He and my elder brother are always waiting to take my case.
What kind of an influence has Mahela Jayawardene been at MI?
Mahela has helped me a lot with my batting. I love hitting sixes, it comes naturally. So, that's what I would do every time I hit the nets - pick on a spinner. Mahela sir has worked on me a lot. As soon as he would see me getting any bit casual, he'd quietly come over to where I was batting and tell me, 'Boy, you have to focus. There's a match coming'.
He has always been around and has been a very calming influence. When he came to know I was sleeping very late, not on time, sometimes he'd call at 1 am in the morning to check. And if I picked the phone, he'd be like "oh, so you haven't slept yet?" And I'd sheepishly reply: "I was just going to".
What are you working on right now?
Two things: 1) The pace of the game during the middle-overs. Looking to hit sixes is all fine but how to keep the scoreboard ticking, strike rotating and allow the flow of the game to move without hindrances. Tapping the ball for singles, converting those singles into doubles, confusing the bowler and the field that's been set. Not allowing them to settle.
That's the first bit.
2) I used to have a very good cut shot. Every time I got that opportunity, it would be a boundary shot. But lately, I realised I need to work on getting that rhythm back. Rohit bhai has also been sharing some small but interesting stuff with me. The other day at the nets, we spoke about how I need to beat the fielder at point, and if I can get that right, there are so many options in that area.
Does red-ball cricket attract you?
There is a different charm to red-ball cricket. When we were starting out in the U16s and dreaming of playing for India, it was not for playing IPL and earning money. If that had been the case, I would have gone outside and maybe trained to be a footballer. We loved this game, the art of it. You talk to most budding cricketers; they want to play for India. I agree that the U-16 and U-19 lot coming through now watch the IPL more than Tests but that is just a passing phase.
What kind of bowlers trouble you?
The Jofra Archer kind. He gets a little extra bounce. His pace and run-up don't match up. He comes in slow jogging. Playing shots off him is difficult. In One-day cricket, you get the time and can rotate the strike and target the other bowler. But in T20s, it is a very fast game. In international cricket, you won't be served balls on a platter to hit sixes. You must make your own space, move around the crease. Doing that to Archer is a bit difficult.
This generation is seeing relatively poor players of spin bowling…
Maybe, but I work on it regularly. Earlier I used to play spin well. But the pace of the game has increased and the demand for making quick runs has resulted in us losing our basics. Maybe we were better batters 2-3 years ago than now. Time is less, you get nets only for a day after quarantine and then you are down to play the match. You don't get time to work on your basics. But a player should know what the deficiencies in his game are.
Tell us your story. Where and how you began your cricket. The beginning…
At the age of 14, I joined the SAIL office league team. There was a senior player from Bihar who was playing for Jharkhand. He requested my dad to send me over and that's how I landed at Jharkhand. There we had a captain, Arun Vidyarthi, who used to look into everything. I began playing under him, got runs based on which the Under-16 selection happened. The U-16 performances got me into the Under-19 radar, got me into the senior team. The journey began from there.
When did it first occur to you, as a teenager, that you can make a good career out of the game?
It's actually difficult at any point to say that. It was just about self-belief and your ability to put in those hard yards. Then, as you keep playing, getting runs, the more aware you tend to become about your own game, you get that 'feel good' idea about yourself -- those are the moments that need to start seeping in.
For instance, when I started playing for the senior team for the first time, I realised I needed to work on my batting against pace. I spent a good deal of time remedying that, used to bat from half the wicket. Those were days when most of my time would go in learning from mistakes and rectifying them.
At that time, there was no 'big picture'. It was just about following the processes that were in place. I got to learn a lot from my coach at Jharkhand during those days, Rajiv Kumar Raja. Picked up a few skill sets from him and the work ethics he had put in place were rigorous. There were strict regimens and timetables for us to follow and those things helped a lot. For instance, dinner used to be 7.30 pm sharp and off to bed after 10 pm.
So, who does Ishan Kishan listen to? Someone who knows how to keep you focused...
Paaji aise bahut hain (brother, there are many such individuals). There's a nice group of four to five individuals in every team who like to have fun, make fun. The camaraderie is such and when it begins to bloom, it works positively in so many different ways. I love it when the dressing room is a happy place and if I see someone's low or going through something, I'll immediately make it a point to go and talk to that person. Little things go a long way.
So, in the same context, how has Ishan Kishan changed after landing at MI?
In the beginning when I joined MI, I was very young, relaxed, and used to tell myself 'I've got time on hand'. But even then, there was always so much focus on how I was going to approach my game. The senior players in the team, the coaching staff, having Sachin sir around - all of that began to help immensely. Those conversations with Sachin sir on the elements I should be focusing on have been great experiences and I'm truly blessed. Following a process, sticking to it, absorbing pressures, ticking the right boxes -- these are aspects I began to learn more about.
Gradually skillsets began to further improve. Here's an example: I have always enjoyed my leg-side play and the coaches would keep coming to remind me how the bowling team would work on my indulgences and return with a different plan. So, preparation began right then in terms of working on my off-side play. This was before the 2020 edition. And when the tournament began, all those sessions began to help so immensely because my game was strong on all sides.
Also, when I came here first, I was going through my own share of lifestyle issues. Not sleeping on time, not eating on time, just eating anything. I used to think these are little things that won't matter in the long run, but the trainers there, they showed me the mirror.
The time that I've spent with Rohit bhai have been priceless. Little things, but important things. Rotating the strike, being aware of the match situation, being flashy with big hits alone is not enough.
You're an IPL star now. It all comes with a responsibility. How conscious are you?
Initially, I was nothing like that. I was up for anything, going anywhere, wearing whatever came, couldn't care less about what people thought of me. In India, once you come into the cricket ecosystem, you cannot go away. Kids will pick up things which you are doing. Earlier I felt all this was unnecessary, why would I want to speak, or behave or give an interview in the manner someone else wants me to. But now I realise, cricketers cannot just go out and do anything that they want because you are an example for so many people in India. It is important on how I present myself so people who are picking things from me are on the right path.
