Ishan Kishan on mindset, comeback journey and praise for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Ishan Kishan spoke about his batting approach, comeback mindset and learning from mistakes, stressing consistency and hunger. He also praised Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s explosive form, recalling their on-field interaction after a high-scoring IPL encounter.

Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad’s star wicketkeeper-batter Ishan KIshan said that having played for so many years as a No. 3 batter, if you are set, you look to score big and bat till the end.

“ It makes the job easier for the other batters with you, as they don’t feel the pressure. That is my only thinking, to keep things as simple as I can, be in a good headspace, and just take it one match at a time,” Ishan said on JioHotstar’s special show.

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“ If we play good cricket, the rest of the team will learn from it. In the end, it’s a team sport. When you play good cricket, it rubs off on the others. I have also made a lot of mistakes, so my only aim is not to repeat them, which unfortunately, I did in the end in this game,” he said.

On his comeback to the Indian team, Ishan said: “When I wasn’t playing and was out of the team, I told myself I can’t cry or sulk about it. It’s the easiest thing to do for any sportsman. It might earn you the sympathy of a few people, you might even feel good about it, but it won’t get you anywhere.”

“ The only thing that could have gotten me back into the reckoning was runs. So, I just wanted to improve my game and score as many runs as I could, even if that meant hitting more sixes than any other batter,” Ishan said.

“Only consistent run-scoring can bring you back into the team. If 300 runs in a season are not enough, score 400; if not that, score 500. At the end of the day, cricket is our daily bread. When you’re out of the team, you understand its importance and start respecting every game. You become hungrier, and that was my focus: to become the best,” he said.

On his chat with Rajasthan Royals’ centurion Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan said: “I was just telling him about the madness with which he is batting and how he is hitting. Sometimes, you are even scared thinking about what the scorecard could have looked like if he had stayed for a few more overs.”

“So, it was important for us to get his wicket. It was 228, it could have easily been 258. Cricket is all about comebacks. We got him out and made a little comeback there. That’s what I told him, ‘When I am playing against you, please go a little easy on my team. I know all your secrets and inside stories,” Ishan said.