Chennai, Sep 7 (PTI) Ishan Kishan on Monday said taking up Jharkhand’s captaincy role in 2024 helped him grow as a person, as a cricketer and as a leader of men, keeping him away from his wild child days.
After losing the BCCI central contract in late 2023, Kishan returned to his state side, and accepted the leadership role, which he gladly continues to do whenever available.
After a tumultuous phase, Kishan has now returned to the India fold albeit in the white ball formats.
“You have to take responsibility. If you don’t take it now, when will you? It’s not like I am a 22-year-old and have just broken into the team. When we were very young, we used to rely on our senior players to score runs and thought we would just support them,” Kishan said during the post-day press conference.
“But now, being an established part of the squad, I feel it is crucial that I take up the primary role of scoring runs and making sure the team’s total climbs because of me,” he said.
Leading East Zone, Kishan made a brilliant 270 to take his side to 708 all out in their first innings against South Zone in the Duleep Trophy final.
“Going through this whole process leads to immense personal growth, and while you might not realise it immediately, your mindset shifts completely, and you become much calmer about things,” he said.
So, how has the captaincy changed the 28-year-old?
“I think when you are the captain of the team, the first thing is situational awareness…you have to stay alert the entire day on the field to understand what is happening and what isn’t. You have to take care of all your teammates.
“There are so many small things we often overlook in our daily routines-like just showing up, batting in the nets, and leaving. You don’t look at your players or try to help them figure out how they can get better.
“But when you are the captain, it becomes your duty to help them, because if your teammates are improving, ultimately you will achieve the team’s goals,” he said.
The left-hander cited his double hundred as a primary example of his philosophy.
“It was a very good innings because I always kept the team goal first. I could have played attacking shots in many moments, but I think when you are batting on such a big stage, it is very important to prioritise what the team decides on the total first.
“We won the toss and chose to bat first, and the plan was to put up a big total on the board. So, I had to show a lot of temperament, keep good shot selection. So, I’m really happy with this innings,” he said.