Ishan Kishan 2.0

To hell and back Ishan Kishan might just have made this journey across the last few months In December last year he cited mental fatigue to opt out of the South Africa Test series He then avoided playing in the Ranji Trophy for Jharkhand and instead chose to train in preparation for the IPL Consequently he was kept out of the BCCIrsquos Annual Player Contracts for the 202324 season with board secretary Jay Shah making it amply clear that domestic cricket should be a priority for all playersRumour mills were abuzz that Kishan is not in a good space both on and off the field But just when he was on the verge of picking up a Bad Boy image among fans and Indian cricket lovers alike IPL17 has come as a breath of fresh air for the swashbuckling batterAlso ReadIPL 2024 Fans will start loving him Kishan on Pandyas booingIn top gearOn Thursday Kishan was the topscorer of the match with a 34ball 69 studded with seven fours and five sixes as the Mumbai Indians MI annihilated Royal Challengers Bengaluru RCB chasing down their 1968 with seven wickets and with 27 balls to spare In fact such has been Kishanrsquos form that he is currently the leading scorer for the fivetime champions this season with a tally of 161 runs at an impressive strike rate of 18295Kishan who strolled into Thursday nightrsquos postmatch press conference with a broad smile humming a tune followed by an emphatic lsquohi guysrsquo as he addressed the media admitted that some of his offfield experiences in the recent past have brought about a positive transformation not just on the personality front but also in the professionalism aspect ldquoI was practisingrdquo he shot back when asked what he was up to in the recent past when he was in the news for all the wrong reasons ldquoWhen I took time off from the game people started gossiping about it Many things came on social media but itrsquos important to understand that not everything is in a playerrsquos hands So the only thing you can do is utilise this breaktime properlyrdquo he addedWhen he walked out to bat earlier chasing a target of close to 200 Kishan played out three dot balls off the very first over of the innings against RCBrsquos Reece Topley Itrsquos not something the opener is used to doing as he generally tends to go after the bowling from Ball One However this change is also a consequence of what transpired lately ldquoIf I were the old Ishan Kishan I might not have left the good deliveries in the first two overs against RCB I would have been under pressure But with time I have learnt that even 20 overs are a lot and you can take your time You can have the belief in yourself and move forward So all these things have actually helped me in that breakrdquo he stressedIn fact the team man in him has also been activated in the bargain ldquoWe lost some games here first three matches but I always felt that most of the players not just me were keen to work with everyone It was never about us individually performing well for the franchise and not being aware of what the other players were going through So now I also know if someone is not doing well how they feel If I am performing and another player is failing I go and speak to him to make him feel comfortable These are things that helped me in the breakrdquo Kishan addedlsquoWC selection not in my handsrsquoT20rsquos biggest competition is not too far away World Cup will be held from June 1 to 29 in USA and the West Indies and Kishan realises that his good form puts him on the doorstep of that India flight to the Americas But his new calm self has restricted him from thinking too far ahead ldquoThat World Cup team selection is not in my hands so Irsquom taking things very easy right now Itrsquos not like I want to prove anything to anyone The IPL is a long tournament and I know that I have to just go out there and keep enjoying myself and take it match by match Irsquove learnt that you shouldnrsquot put pressure on yourself about things that are not in your control The uncontrollables will always be there and itrsquos up to you to figure that outrdquo he signed off