‘No more jokes’: Why Ishan Kishan is so serious now

NEW DELHI: The last time Ishan Kishan played a World Cup match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium was against Afghanistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup. On the eve of that game, then head coach Rahul Dravid only allowed him to play defensive shots for close to 90 minutes.

He didn’t play a game after that match. And in another two months’ time he was banished by the team management and the selectors over disciplinary issues.

Fast forward two years later and Kishan is now critical at the top of the order as India’s T20 World Cup title defence enters the business end. Ishan, enjoying a vein of good form, is in the zone — he was even unaware that he had his wicketkeeping pads on for the press conference, a good 30 minutes after India had steamrolled Namibia here on Thursday night.“ Arey sir, time hi nahin mila utaar ne ko (I didn’t get time to take them off),” he said.It’s only been three weeks that he has got his place back in the Indian team and he has already leapfrogged from Sanju Samson’s backup to India’s lead weapon with the bat at the top of the innings. The baby-faced Ishan, who scored a 24-ball 61, says, “I am a changed man now.”For anyone who has followed him since his U-19 days, it’s very difficult to come to terms with an Ishan who is not perpetually chirpy and having fun on the field.

“I don’t get into it too much but I do enjoy jokes and everything. Earlier I used to do it 24x7 but now it’s just 2-3 hours of it. So, I am just focusing more on batting and my wicketkeeping, which is going to help the team and me. Everything else is secondary. I’m not just always joking, especially under Gauti bhai (head coach Gautam Gambhir),” Ishan said, the hurt of the last two years still writ large on his face.His work ethic too has improved. There has always been a question mark over his wicketkeeping.

So, he decides to go through a rigorous drill on his reflexes for 30 minutes till toss time on game day.There’s much excitement around this version of Ishan Kishan the batter. Every ball is an event these days with him. He looks a lot freer and loose at the crease. The 300-run mark in T20 cricket looks possible when he gets going.“I don’t know if I’ve done a very big amount of hard work. I just kept it simple rather than rushing into things or getting excited and playing shots,” he said.“I’m just trying to be calm on the pitch and just trying to watch the ball and play the shots which I already had. Sometimes you get excited and play those shots when you’re playing international cricket. I’m just trying to cut those moments off. I’m not thinking so much or getting into extra training sessions. Even two-three dot balls should not make a difference,” Ishan said.Going into the egos-at-stake match against Pakistan on a presumably sluggish Premadasa pitch in Colombo on Sunday, Ishan could well be India’s biggest bet to land the opening punches.“I do take singles as well and I do defend the good balls. When we play against Pakistan, things might be different. So we need to assess as soon as possible, know more about the pitch, their bowling strength, who’s going to bowl when and who we can take on. If it’s required for me to take a single and give the strike to someone else, I’ll do that as well,” Ishan said.