CHENNAI: "Uski zindagi mein ek tehrav aa gaya hai (Calmness has come into his life," said an ecstatic Uttam Mazumdar when enquired what changed in his most famous ward, Ishan Kishan's life in the past two years. "He no longer is a brash youngster, who wants everything immediately. He is ready to wait. He now has the patience to wait for his chance no matter if it feels like eternity," added Mazumdar while speaking to this daily.
The Indian selectors picked the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup on Sunday and Kishan's comeback into the national fold was the biggest surprise of the day. Around two years ago, the diminutive left-hand wicketkeeper-batter fell out of favour when he sought rest owing to mental fatigue during the India tour of South Africa. Talking about things, which hardly get the mention it deserves in the Indian sport, cost the 27-year-old Jharkhand player dear. He not only lost his central contract but was also written off by a section who believed he would never be able to make his comeback to Team India.
"Things were very difficult but we always knew he had the potential to prove everyone wrong. He has always been talented and I saw it when he came to me as a six-year-old in Bihar. After six years, we all made him shift to Ranchi as Bihar cricket was in a mess then. He was only 12 then but he not only managed but made his name playing for the Jharkhand teams. India debut followed in all formats. But then this happened but we never lost hope," said Mazumdar, who also shifted to Noida setting up his academy named SDRV-UMCC Academy there.
It was Mazumdar, who advised Kishan to meditate to have a better control over himself and surroundings during the Covid pandemic. It worked wonders as Kishan armed with meditation made progress by leaps and bounds. The out-of-favour India batter once again turned to his childhood coach when things went downhill. "We were always in touch but difficult situations demand extreme measures and he didn't hesitate to adopt them when the time came."
Domestic cricket was the route to get back to the Indian team and Kishan followed it wholeheartedly. The turning point came when he led Jharkhand to their first Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 title a few days ago. He not only impressed with his leadership skills but also scored runs in bulk to demolish bowling attacks of the rival teams. He ended up scoring 517 runs at a staggering strike rate of 197.32. Kishan reserved the best for the last as he hammered a 45-ball century, second ever in the SMAT final, against Haryana and broke MS Dhoni's record of most sixes by a wicketkeeper-batter in a T20 season.
Kishan's ridiculous power-hitting, the fact that keeps wickets and open the batting forced selectors to have a look at him. Given his show in the country's premier domestic T20 tournament, they were left with no choice than to give him yet another chance to prove his mettle. "Before every match in the SMAT, we used to have a video chat. Kishan doesn't need advice on his batting. It was more about mental things. Before the tournament started, I told him that this is his chance to impress the selectors. He not only did that but forced them to include him in the team. There was never a doubt on his potential and he just has to channel it in a proper direction. He did that wonderfully as leading a Jharkhand side that comprises youngsters to their first-ever T20 title is not a mean feat."
Kishan was there in the India squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup but got only two matches when Shubman Gill was ruled out due to dengue in the group stage. The seed of mental fatigue might have sowed during the tournament when Kishan warmed the bench for the entirety of the event. Things could be the same at the T20 World Cup as he is selected as a back-up keeper for Sanju Samson. But as Mazumdar said, Kishan has attained patience and calmness in the last two years and these traits will help him weather the storm.
"You cannot make him sit on the bench for a long period given his form and potential. And even if that happens, he is ready to wait and explode when given a chance. I am quite sure he will not only play but help the team win matches in the marquee tournament," signed off the coach posing faith on 'tehrav' his ward has gained during the testing time.