Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ishan Kishan (BCCI/IPL Photo) NEW DELHI: Watching Vaibhav Sooryavanshi at full throttle, Ishan Kishan was almost stunned as the Sunrisers Hyderabad batsman stood on the field and witnessed the 15-year-old’s start of towering sixes from the wicket to the stands. Sooryavanshi smashed his second IPL century – 103 off 37 balls – against Pat Cummins-led SRH.Sooryavanshi’s knock came at a breathtaking pace as he raced to the third-fastest hundred in IPL history, reaching the milestone in just 36 balls to power Rajasthan Royals to an imposing 228/6.However, SRH had the final say as they chased down a target of 229 runs with nine balls to spare. Ishan led the charge with a 31-ball 74 while Abhishek Sharma chipped in with 57 off 29 deliveries to take SRH to 229/5 in 18.3 overs.
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“We didn’t play good cricket” – Mahela Jayawardene after MI’s biggest IPL loss vs CSKIt wasn’t just a high-scoring thriller set in Jaipur – it also featured a hilarious but eloquent exchange between Ishan and teenage sensation Sooryavanshi.After the match, Ishan revealed that he had a chat with the youngster who lit up the competition with his explosive innings.“I was just telling him about the craziness with which he bats and how he bats. Sometimes you even dread to think what the scoreboard might look like if he stayed for a few more overs.”“So it was important for us to get his wicket. It was 228, it could easily have been 258. Cricket is all about comebacks. We got him out and got back in there a bit. That’s what I told him: ‘When I play against you, please go easy on my team. I know all your secrets and inside stories’,” Ishan joked.Ishan’s comeback storyFor Ishan, the moment also underlined how far he has come. His time away from the Indian team was frustrating, but the left-hander continued to play the hard yards in domestic cricket, patiently waiting for his opportunity – and when it came, it was made to count.He returned to the India squad for the T20I series against the New Zealand national cricket team and the T20 World Cup earlier this year, earning a recall after a prolific domestic season in which he led Jharkhand to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title with over 500 runs.Reflecting on that phase, Ishan said he decided not to dwell on his absence and instead focused on improving his consistency.“When I wasn’t playing and was out of the team, I told myself that I can’t cry or sulk about it. It’s the easiest thing for any sportsperson. You might win a few people’s sympathy, you might feel good about it, but it won’t take you anywhere,” Ishan told JioHotstar.“The only thing that could get me back into the count was runs. So I just wanted to improve my game and score as many runs as possible, even if it meant hitting more sixes than any other batsman.He added that the phase only made him hungry.“Only consistent run scoring can bring you back into the team. If 300 runs in a season is not enough, give 400, if not then 500. At the end of the day, cricket is our daily bread.”
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“When you’re out of the team, you understand its importance and start respecting every game. You become hungrier, and that was my goal: to become the best,” he added.Now batting at No.3, Ishan showed his maturity with a blistering 31-ball 74 in the same match, guiding SRH to a steep chase.“After playing as a No. 3 batsman for so many years, if you’re set, you want to score and bat till the end. It makes it easier for other batsmen to work with you because they don’t feel the pressure.“That’s my only thought, keep things as simple as I can, be in a good headspace and take it one game at a time. If we play good cricket, the rest of the team will learn from it.”“At the end of the day, it’s a team sport. When you play good cricket, it rubs off on others. I also made a lot of mistakes, so my only aim is not to repeat them, which unfortunately I ended up doing in this game,” he added.
