"All-rounder is just a tag; I can definitely bat" - Ever-evolving R Sai Kishore and the beauty of authenticity
There usually comes a time in a sportsperson's life when the sport and life decide to stop dating and finally tie the knot. That might seem like a strange thing to say, but top professionals have frequently attested that at some point during their careers, the sport stops being their avocation (or vocation, for the lucky ones) and starts becoming the premier source of life lessons.
To make a grand generalization, it happens to players in their 30s, which are usually considered to be the final quarter of their careers, especially for those in mainstream sports that involve physical pursuits. Occasionally, only very occasionally, certain sportspeople come by who are lucky enough to derive meaning and wisdom from their art right from the start.
R Sai Kishore belongs to those fortunate folk. The 26-year-old's wizened eye and philosophically attuned personality might not slap you in the face when you watch him on the field, where he's as intense and visibly driven as they come. Off the field, though, it becomes all too apparent.
Sai Kishore's trophy cabinet was running out of room even prior to the 2023 domestic season. He had already won multiple IPL titles (with two different teams), multiple TNPL titles, and multiple domestic competitions including the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Not resting on his laurels, Sai Kishore recently played crucial roles in South Zone's triumphant runs in the Duleep Trophy and the Deodhar Trophy. What kind of headspace is the serial winner in right now? What's the reason behind silverware following him wherever he goes?
"I'm very good [laughs]. I'm enjoying cricket. Every match I play is such an enjoyable experience; it's like playing a tennis-ball match! I'm having a lot of fun. Maybe my energy is working in that way. When you start a tournament thinking about how to win it, maybe all the energies are flowing in that direction. So it's tough to say why," Sai Kishore says in an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda.
Hanuma Vihari's leadership during South Zone's charge to the Duleep Trophy came under a great deal of praise. In the semifinal clash against North Zone, Vihari's men found themselves locked in a race against time to hit the winning runs, with light fading and NZ pushing the limits of the rules with delay tactics.
Sai Kishore was in the middle as it all transpired, finally hitting the winning runs by crunching a slog-sweep over the midwicket boundary. Vihari himself stated that he didn't have an issue with the controversial tactics, but what was it like to watch North Zone while away time in an attempt to salvage the game?
"It wasn't frustrating. That is the situation, so there's no point being frustrated. I wanted to win it for the team. Bad light didn't even come to my mind; the umpires were supportive and were trying to extend the game as much as possible. I thought we'd able to hit those runs even if we got 2-3 overs. That was the feeling, and we knew that they'd bowl those overs. There was no fear; when you're in the zone, things just flow. It was very calm," Sai Kishore recollects.
Sai Kishore hitting the winning runs in the Duleep Trophy was just one example out of many in the recent past where he has proved that he's no mug with the willow. In the Deodhar Trophy final weeks later, he scored 24 important runs in a calm ninth-wicket partnership that proved decisive in the end.
Apart from that, Sai Kishore hammered a 23-ball fifty in TNPL 2023 en route to 122 runs in the season at an average of 30.5 and a strike rate of 164. He has been able to take on both pinch-blocking and pinch-hitting roles with excellent results over the last couple of years.
Is it safe to say that Sai Kishore, who was once a specialist left-arm spinner, now considers himself an all-rounder?
"Yes yes, definitely. I want to keep improving myself. I've come a long way in improving my game and I want to keep improving it more. 'All-rounder' is just a tag. I can definitely bat, and when the situations come, I want to contribute. My knock in the Deodhar Trophy final, for example, was crucial for the team. For affecting the outcome, bowlers batting well is very important," he admits.
It's become next to impossible for a specialist finger-spinner to make it at the highest level, whether it is the IPL or the international game. They are now almost always required to be able to have a meaningful secondary skill that can regularly impact the outcome of matches.
Sai Kishore is cognizant of that fact. At the same time, he is true to himself, speaking about why he wants to bat in the first of several references to the word "authenticity".
"It has become that way. It wasn't always the case, but that's just how the situation is right now. As a finger-spinner, you have to bat if you want to play at the highest level. However, my reason for wanting to improve my batting is not that. You need to be authentic. I just love batting, so I'm batting. I feel so good about improving my batting, and that's why I'm doing it. The other things are circumstantial," he says.
Sai Kishore, the leader
It's not often that a mid-20s player whose primary skill involves leather and not wood is appointed the skipper, but Sai Kishore has been backed for more responsibility from all quarters.
He moved away from the storied Chepauk Super Gillies (CSG) franchise to take up a new challenge at the helm of the IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans (ITT), who haven't been too successful lately in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL).
Coming into the tournament with a slightly undercooked squad, ITT lost their first two matches. With an eye on the Duleep Trophy, which Sai Kishore would go on to make a principal contribution in the win, he decided to hand the reins over to NS Chaturved.
ITT's fortunes lifted slightly as they racked up four points in their next two matches to rekindle hopes of a playoff push. It turned out to be a false dawn, though, as they lost their last three matches to finish sixth in the standings with just two wins from seven.
"It was a definite challenge," Sai Kishore says. "I wanted to take that challenge up, but then I felt I couldn't lead the team to the fullest because I was leaving for the Duleep Trophy. So after two games, I only asked Chatur to take it over. They had announced the squad, and I wanted him to lead because he'd also get a run. I got great learnings out of it. The next time I lead a team, those learnings will come to the fore," he tells Sportskeeda.
The next time Sai Kishore leads a team might not be far away, with the main leg of the domestic season on the horizon.
Tamil Nadu have several more established players in their midst, but their Ranji Trophy returns have been disappointing over the last few years. The selectors appeared to run out of patience during the 2022-23 season as they sacked Baba Indrajith and put the spinner in the hot seat.
The chairman of the selection panel, Vasudevan S, spoke about grooming Sai Kishore with an eye on the future. The player, though, is equanimous in his approach.
"I'm not sure, actually [whether he's a long-term option]. It's upto the selectors, it's not in my hands. If I'm made the captain, I will try to give my hardest for the team. Integrity is one of the key tenets of my game as well as my leadership. I don't say something and do something else. Whatever I do is going to be for the team only, and if the role is given, I'll do that role. I'm not chasing anything. Even if I'm a player, it's a lot of fun and less responsibility! [laughs]"
"The way I bowled in the Deodhar Trophy, I felt that bowling is more than good enough to play at the international level" - Sai Kishore
Domestic success didn't stop with the Duleep Trophy as South Zone carried their form into the 50-over format with a Deodhar Trophy triumph. Sai Kishore played an instrumental role, picking up 11 wickets in five matches at an average of 15.27 and an economy rate of 3.78.
Higher honors are slowly but surely coming. He has been a net bowler for a couple of years now, most notably in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year, when he got to watch the likes of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel up close. The 26-year-old has also been named as a standby for the 2023 Asian Games.
As a process-oriented person, Sai Kishore rarely falls back on results to metricize his success. At the same time, seeing his name in Indian squads and being among the national team's players must feel good.
Is there even a sliver of satisfaction within him, knowing that his efforts are getting him to places people generally strive to reach?
"I used to have these things, honestly speaking. Nowadays, I just feel like you get what you deserve. So I want to get better, and that's the only thing I want to do. The way I bowled in the Deodhar Trophy, I felt that bowling is more than good enough to play at the international level," he says.
"Once you get that confidence, all the other things just serve as validation. Whether they pick you or not, it shouldn't make too much of a difference. From within myself, I can see what needs to be done and what I'm doing right/wrong. But obviously, things like potentially getting picked for the Asian Games - superb! It's such a great event which has created so many superstars, and I'm honored to have the chance to represent my country," Sai Kishore adds.
"As humans, we do get disappointed sometimes" - Sai Kishore looks back on IPL 2023
Sai Kishore had to wait a long time for his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut, with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) never able to grant him a spot in the XI. A move to the Gujarat Titans (GT) gave the left-arm spinner a welcome chance towards the end of the 2022 season, and he took it with both hands.
Following a breakthrough campaign, Sai Kishore would've been at the forefront of GT's charge in IPL 2023 were it not for Kane Williamson's unfortunate knee injury in the first game of the season. An overseas slot opened up, one that was duly taken up by Noor Ahmad for most of the campaign.
Sai Kishore is aware of the circumstances that surrounded another full IPL season on the bench, but he knows better than anyone not to view it as a setback.
"If Kane was there, we'd have needed an Indian spinner, and there weren't many of those. Only Jayant and I were there, and one of us would've definitely played. Once Kane got injured, we had that foreign slot and we played Noor. As humans, we do get disappointed sometimes. But all this is there in life. The reality is the reality. I learnt a lot of life lessons, and I think that has made me the person that I am now," he calmly says.
He also has a couple of interesting insights regarding the impact player rule, which seemed to be a double-edged sword in the way it was used during IPL 2023.
"I'm just viewing it as a chance for an additional player. 12 is better than 11 in that sense. As a domestic player, you'll get more opportunities to play. There are many possibilities thanks to the rule, and it has obviously changed the dimensions of the game a bit. But all that aside, it gives chances," Sai Kishore notes.
"All actions on that day were required" - Sai Kishore and the 'beauty of authenticity'
Sai Kishore's introduction to the national stage didn't come without its controversies. During TNPL 2016, he was involved in a physical altercation with N Jagadeesan after dismissing the batter before Ravichandran Ashwin directed some choice words at the then 20-year-old.
A week after the incident, Sai Kishore even admitted to regretting losing his cool in front of Ashwin. More than seven years down the line, what has changed? Does he still regret what happened?
It's now that Sai Kishore delivers the most telling snippet of his exclusive interview with Sportskeeda. Unsurprisingly, it features that word "authenticity".
"I've grown taller, what else has changed since then? [laughs] When we're young, we all do these things. I don't have any regrets or such things, I've hardly gone to that video. I won't regret it; everything is required. All actions on that day were required. Everyone has an authenticity, and there's beauty in authenticity, even in an emotion like anger. After a stage, we understand that these things are not necessary. I didn't turn a blind eye to it and keep it within me, so I was able to go past it," he reflects.
When Sportskeeda spoke to him exactly a year ago, Sai Kishore was asked what fans could expect from him over the next year. "I'll bowl better, I'll bat better, I'll field better" was his short and sweet response. Does he stand by that 360 days later?
"You say that you want to get better because what's currently there is not enough. So I'm not too sure about that. You can expect a lot of cricket from me. League matches, Buchi Babu, Mushtaq Ali, maybe Asian Games. I'm upbeat. Whatever situation there may be, I will be the fighter that I am," Sai Kishore signs off.