My job is to just keep performing: Ishan Kishan revels in domestic grind
It is never easy for an international player to come back to domestic cricket and give their best, but the keeper is doing exactly that
Mumbai: Starting with the end of 2023, when he took permission to return home midway from the India tour of South Africa citing mental fatigue, Ishan Kishan has spent two terrible, forgettable years -- 2024 and 2025. There was a genuine fear that the dashing keeper-batter could be lost to Indian cricket. His last Test match was in July 2023. last ODI in October 2023 and last T20I in Nov 2023.
Fortunately for Indian cricket, this season Kishan has rediscovered his passion and got his priorities right. He is again ready to go through the grind of domestic cricket and do whatever the game demands of him.
It is never easy for an international player to come back to the domestic grind and give their best, but Ishan is highly motivated to do it. The proof of it was seen at the just concluded T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he inspired Jharkhand to their maiden title.
A lot of top players get their adrenaline rush only when the stage is big enough. The stage doesn’t matter to Kishan anymore. He topped the SMAT run chart with 517 runs playing mostly in front of empty stands.
“Have you watched that movie Bahubali? So there’s a dialogue that wherever a king goes, he remains a king. So that is the simple thing. Wherever you are, in whatever situation…” the dashing keeper-batter said after celebrating wildly with his state teammates after winning the SMAT at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Gahunje, near Pune.
The Jharkhand captain is not talking big. It’s a way to motivate himself. The amount of effort he has put in the tournament showed how determined he is. In the final, the 27-year-old destroyed the Haryana bowling attack with a belligerent 49-ball 101 which included 10 sixes. It was his second hundred in the tournament.
His attitude towards domestic cricket was a bone of contention for the selectors. He stopped playing domestic cricket, and lost his BCCI central contract as a result.
So how did the transformation happen?
“I know (it is tough), but you also understand what situation you are in. And do you have any other choice? You have to play your A game when you are playing the domestic matches. Because this is the place where you perform and you take it to another level,” said Kishan.
Then there is the champion’s ego where you can’t take a defeat at whatever level you are playing.
“So, I can’t take any match easy, especially when you see other teams happy (celebrating) when they win. You don’t want that because when your name is added to the team, you never want to lose a game.”
There has been a lot of work put in through the season to take his game to another level.
“When I was not selected in the team, I felt pretty bad when I was doing well. But my only thing was... If I am not selected with this sort of performance, then maybe I have to do more. Maybe I have to make my team win. Maybe we have to do well as a unit. So that was the whole thing.”
His performances have certainly put him in the running for India T20 team selection which happens on Saturday. Asked if he fancied his chances?
“I don’t know. I know you fancy it a lot of times. And when you don’t see your name, You get upset or you feel bad about it. So I’m not in that zone anymore. Like I’m not expecting anything. But yeah, my job is to just keep performing. And I’ll do that.”
