Ishan Kishan says consistent run-scoring for Jharkhand restored his confidence, allowing him to trust his instincts while anchoring a dominant chase with a quickfire match-winning 76 against New Zealand
Ishan Kishan celebrates his half-century against New Zealand in Raipur on Friday. Pic/AFP
After playing a match-winning knock of 76 in 32 balls, Player of the Match Ishan Kishan underlined how scoring runs in domestic cricket helped answer his own doubts, rebuild confidence, and carry momentum into the international arena during the second T20I against New Zealand here on Friday.
India successfully chased down the target of 209 with seven wickets in hand and 28 balls to spare to record their joint-highest successful chase in T20Is.
Made most of Powerplay
Kishan explained that chasing a big total required calm decision-making, stressing the importance of watching the ball closely, avoiding unnecessary risks, and making the most of the Powerplay.
“I was focusing more on what I needed to do and being in a good headspace for this game. Sometimes, [when] you are batting well, you just have to be in a good headspace. You just try to watch the ball and play good shots. We were looking to not take any risks and not go cross-batted. When you are chasing 200-plus, you need runs in the Powerplay as well,” Kishan said.
The blistering knock came on the back of a strong domestic season. During the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign, Jharkhand skipper Kishan topped the charts with 517 runs and played a decisive role in the final against Haryana, where he struck a blistering century. “I was just looking to score runs. Sometimes, it is important to do it for yourself so you can answer questions about how you are batting. If you are capable of playing for India, that’s why it was very important for me to score runs in domestic cricket. The good part is that we won the trophy as well. Batting here, I took the same confidence.”
‘Answered my own questions’
Reflecting on his time out of the national side, Kishan revealed a moment of self-belief, saying he trusted his ability to bat deep and play impactful innings, and only needed runs to reaffirm that belief. “I just asked myself one question: Can I do it again or not? I had a clear answer in my head. I feel I can bat throughout the innings and play good shots. I just needed to get runs somewhere to answer my questions. Even if I got out, I just wanted to play good cricket, that was it,” he said.
517
No. of runs scored by Ishan Kishan in 10 matches of the last edition of the SMAT @ 57.44 — the most by any player
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