Ishan Kishan Says Calm Mindset Has Improved His Batting

New Delhi — Ishan Kishan says learning to remain calm at the crease has helped transform his batting approach, with the India wicketkeeper-batter emphasizing mindset and instinct ahead of the second T20I against Afghanistan.

Kishan, who recently led East Zone to the Duleep Trophy title at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, said he has moved away from worrying about failure and instead focused on reacting naturally to the ball.

“I think initially there were a lot of thoughts going on in my head. You have to get runs for your team, you have to make everyone proud, you have to take care of your place in the team. So you bat accordingly, and when you think about this, I think a fear of failure comes into your game. So you start thinking about, I don’t want to lose my wicket, which also initiates the fact that you won’t be trying so many good shots,” Kishan told broadcasters.

He said keeping things simple has become central to his approach.

“But at the end of the day, I think I’ve just realised that if you’re in the middle, if you’re calm, you’re just trying to watch the ball and not the bowler, and you’re just playing your shots. So, everything is taken care of, and you just have to keep it simple because at the end of the day when you’re playing at this level, obviously you have all the skills and everything. It’s just the mindset, which is the most important thing. So the calmer you are in the middle, the better you get every day,” he said.

Kishan, who guided East Zone to its first Duleep Trophy title in 13 years, said he now focuses more on reacting to each delivery instead of trying to manufacture particular shots.

“I think I’m not over-trying to play shots. I’m not thinking about playing shots. It’s just that my body’s reacting to it. So I’m just focusing more on my hand-eye coordination. It’s not that I’m thinking about a particular area where I want to hit. It’s just about watching the ball till the last moment, understanding what the bowler is trying to do and where my run-scoring options are,” he said.

Kishan also said his match awareness has evolved, pointing to East Zone’s Duleep Trophy campaign as an example.

“My job was to understand that (the) match is not over until it’s over. There was still one day left, so I had to get those big runs coming because we were two wickets down and I know one partnership could make the shoulders down (in the third innings), but it’s important to just be there, spend some time, so that they lose interest in the game and we are on the upper hand.”

The wicketkeeper-batter said he is also focused on improving his fielding and wants to contribute regardless of whether he is behind the stumps.

“Hundred percent. I have been athletic throughout my life, and I feel I’m very good when I’m fielding as well. But still I have dropped a few catches in the past few games, so I’ll have to work a lot on my fielding as well.”

Kishan said dropped catches can have a major impact at the international level, particularly when a dangerous batter is given another opportunity.

“Because at this level, sometimes you drop catches and you don’t realise it because the batsman did not score so much. But if you drop someone good from a good team, like you drop him around fourth or fifth over and he ends up getting runs, it will be a huge difference for us.”

He said he is continuing to work on both wicketkeeping and fielding so he is prepared for either role.

“So I’m just trying to work more on my fielding and wicketkeeping as well. So whenever you get an opportunity to keep or field, you’re just there,” Kishan said. (Source: IANS)