NEW DELHI:
Ishan Kishan
2.0 is here. For this iteration of the wicketkeeper batter, it is more important to focus on developing personally and assisting Mumbai Indians in their
IPL 2024
campaign than pushing himself to be included in India's
T20 World Cup
roster.
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During his recent sabbatical from cricket,
Kishan
highlighted his rampaging 34-ball 69 against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru as an indicator of his renewed approach.
"About the World Cup, it is not in my hands and I am taking things very easy right now. You have to take one match at a time. One needs to understand that a lot is not in the hands of the players," said Kishan in the post-match press meet.
"It's (IPL) a very big tournament and you do not want to overstep. I am just taking one game at a time and however I can help the team, (my motto is) let's do it," he added.
Kishan has been the subject of controversy after he asked for a vacation during India's December tour of South Africa. Kishan's last performance for India was in the T20I series against Australia in November 2023.
Kishan, who is 25 years old, was not selected for any of the next national assignments, and India head coach
Rahul Dravid
had emphasized that Kishan must play domestic cricket in order to make a return.
In addition to
Shreyas Iyer
, Kishan was not given consideration for the
BCCI
central contract for the October 2023-September 2024 year since the board seriously disapproved of his absence from domestic cricket.
Kishan claimed that despite everything, he practiced his cricket.
The Jharkhand player participated in the DY Patil T20 Cup in February, marking his comeback to competitive cricket. He also trained at a private facility in Baroda alongside MI captain
Hardik Pandya
.
"I was practicing as well as I could," Kishan replied when asked what he did during his break from cricket.
"I had taken (an) off (time) and when you take an off, a lot of it is gets spoken about on social media," said Kishan.
"What we can do is that if you have taken time (out) for yourself, use it the best way possible for yourself," he said.
His strike-rate of 182.95 has given his team an early advantage, and he is currently MI's top run scorer with 161 runs from five matches, demonstrating that his dedication has paid off in the IPL.
But Kishan refused to use his performance as a means of proving his critics wrong.
"There is nothing like that (that) I want to prove to someone. I just have to go there and enjoy.
"I have learned that you do not have to add pressure on yourself about these things which are not in your hand. You have to figure out what are (your) controllables and what are (your) uncontrollables," he said.
In the meanwhile, Kishan claimed to have focused on his thinking, which has strengthened him as a person.
"This is where getting a good mindset works. The Ishan Kishan of the past would not have left the balls alone if the bowling was good in the first two overs.
"But with time I have learned that a 20-over game is also very long and you can take your time and move forward while keeping the belief in yourself," he said.
In light of MI's shaky start to this IPL season, Kishan stated that empathy was one of the traits he aimed to cultivate in himself.
"These were the few things which helped me in the period and even now. We (MI) lost (a few) matches but most of the players were keen to work with the rest.
"It was never about us performing well individually and not knowing what other players are going through," he said.
Of course, Kishan would know that too well as he has been in that shoe a short while back.
"I also know when someone is not doing well, how they feel like. I also felt it changed for me, that if someone is not doing well then let's talk to them and find their mindset. I think all these changes have helped me after the break," he added.
(With PTI inputs)
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