Jharkhand wicket-keeper batsman Ishan Kishan is undoubtedly an emerging talent and future star of India. His attacking approach and fearless attitude make him one of the most dangerous batsmen in the young crop of Indian players. Quite often fans have raised the issue of picking Ishan over another phenomenal talent Rishabh Pant. They believe Pant has been given quite a few opportunities and now Ishan deserves a place in the Indian squad.
The 21-year-old first came in the spotlight when he struck a 69-ball 87, decorated with eight sixes, on a turning track of Rajkot in a Ranji Trophy clash against Saurashtra in October 2015. He has also captained India at the Under-19 World Cup in 2016 in Bangladesh, where his side finished runners-up to West Indies.
Ishan’s aggressive method of batting helped him to be picked by Gujarat Lions in the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for INR 35 lakh ($US 52,000 approx) at the age of 17. In the 2018 auction, he was bought for a whopping Rs 6.2 crore by Mumbai Indians.
But who has inspired the Patna-born left-handed batsman the most in his life? Well, Ishan himself has revealed that in a chat show ‘Spicy Pitch’. The destructive batter was there asked to name a cricketer who had the maximum influence on him. Ishan named former India skipper MS Dhoni who interestingly hails from the same state.
“Always Mahendra Singh Dhoni, because.. the way he carries himself, the way he finds new drills in keeping was amazing. I spoke to him in the year when I scored 800 runs in the season. During that time, I asked him how to improve my batting. I told him that I start well, but I am unable to convert it. Then he told me ‘you’re an attacking batsman, but when you play a day match you should know when to pause and when you can start hitting again’,” said Ishan.
“These are certain small things that matter in your batting, and I’ve learnt a lot of these tips from him,” added Ishan.
Ishan also stated the experience when he played under the coaching of Rahul Dravid. The wicket-keeper batsman called Dravid a ‘legend’. He said that Dravid has a quality of never telling a batsman to change his technique; instead, ‘The Wall’ gives lessons on how to read a situation and play accordingly.
“Rahul Sir is a legend. I used to enjoy playing under him a lot. Because he is someone who doesn’t always crack jokes but when you’re sitting around, and he realises something, he’ll make a comment which will surely leave you in splits. He’ll tell you a style one should adopt to read the situation in order to take a game forward. He’ll never tell you to change your technique,” Ishan added further.
