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Star batter Ishan Kishan has spoken candidly about his mindset during his time out of the national team, saying that only consistent performances with the bat could earn him a return to the Indian setup.
Kishan made a strong return to Indian cricket in 2026 after being dropped in 2024 and losing his BCCI central contract. Following a break for mental well-being and a comeback through consistent domestic performances, including an impressive showing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he earned his recall to the national side for the 2026 T20 World Cup. He also took on leadership responsibilities as the stand-in captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026 in the absence of Pat Cummins. Speaking on JioHotstar after Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) five-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2026 on Saturday night, Kishan said he refused to dwell on disappointment during his exclusion from the side and instead focused entirely on improving his game and scoring runs. "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," Kishan said. "It might earn you sympathy, but it won't get you anywhere. The only thing that could have gotten me back into the reckoning was runs." The wicketkeeper-batter stressed the importance of consistency, adding that selection depends purely on performance. "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," he said. Kishan further reflected on how time away from the national side changed his perspective on the game. "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," he said. He added that his focus remained on pushing himself to become a better batter, even if it meant taking an aggressive approach. "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," Kishan said. Following SRH's spectacular win, Kishan also revealed his chat with 15-year-old rising sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. "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 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.'" Coming to the match, RR posted a strong total of 228/6, powered by a sensational 103 off 37 balls from Sooryavanshi and a 35-ball 51 from Jurel. Donovan Ferreira also added a quick cameo off 16-ball 33 late in the innings. In reply, SRH lost Travis Head early but recovered strongly as Ishan Kishan (74 off 31) and Abhishek Sharma (57 off 29) put on a 132-run stand, setting up the chase. Despite a few late wickets, Heinrich Klaasen (29) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (36) ensured the required rate stayed under control as SRH completed the chase comfortably in 18.3 overs. (ANI)
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