NEW DELHI: Tuesday evening was not one to remember for India’s U-19 cricket captain Ishan Kishan. With social media trending stories on the youngster’s arrest by Patna Police for alleged reckless driving, the 17-year-old had a sleepless night. There were reports that Kishan reportedly rammed his speeding car into an auto-rickshaw and injured the passengers inside the three-wheeler, and got into a scuffle with other people at the accident site as well.
But Kishan told Express that the matter was being blown out of proportion. “Waisa kuchh nahi hua tha (Nothing like that happened). It was a small thing, but people portrayed it in a wrong way,” he said on Wednesday. Kishan also admitted there was a ‘bit of confusion’ in the whole incident. “Things could have been handled better.”
Rubbishing reports that he was arrested for reckless driving, the stumper-batsman claimed the police “never arrested” him. He also said it was his father Pranab Pandey who was driving the vehicle. “We were going to meet someone, when the autorickshaw came in between, trying to cross the road and was hit from behind. We were not at fault, but people manhandled me and my father,” the player, who will lead the India U-19 side at the World Cup, said.
It was also a reality check for the young gun. “I got down off the car to see what had happened and suddenly an angry mob started beating me. They even snatched the mobile phone. After some time, a few youngsters could recognise me and then only the thrashing stopped,” he revealed.
With the U-19 World Cup a few days away, the young gun is not ready to think much about the incident. “People may think whatever they have to. I know the reality and that’s enough for me. At the moment, my job is to focus on the World Cup, and that’s what I am doing,” the Jharkhand lad said, adding he also practiced at the local stadium on Wednesday. “Leading India is a big thing, and I’m leaving no stone unturned to make this a special moment,” he admitted.
While Kishan is focusing on the ‘bigger job’ at hand, a section of BCCI officials believe the youngster should learn how to handle things better. “This is an accident, but as captain of the national team, he should have been more mature in handling the situation,” a senior BCCI official said.