"It’s not always necessary to play in the 6th gear"- Ishan Kishan on how Hardik Pandya & Suryakumar Yadav's advice helped him thrive

Mumbai Indians (MI) opener Ishan Kishan played a sensational 69-run knock off just 34 balls against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in an IPL 2024 game at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, April 11.

Ishan's rollicking start ensured that by the time he was dismissed, the match was almost sealed in MI's favor. The southpaw spoke about the advice he has received from the likes of Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav and how he has tried to incorporate that to make his game more well-rounded.

Speaking to Suryakumar in a video posted by the IPL, Ishan Kishan said:

HP (Hardik Pandya) bhai told me, it’s not always necessary to play in the sixth gear. When I was in the Indian team, you also told me that I needed to work on singles. Even the bowlers have to keep guessing in which gear i will play if I have an all-round game. These are the small things I have worked on and try to execute it in the match."

In five IPL 2024 matches so far, Ishan has scored 161 runs at a sensational strike rate of 182.95. His consistency in giving quickfire starts has been a massive boost for MI this season.

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Ishan Kishan on his time away from the game

Ishan Kishan had taken a brief break away from cricket citing mental fatigue and the southpaw believes the practice he did during that phase has helped him understand his game better.

"When we keep playing at every stage, we forget our basics, the things that are important. We play in the flow just to have fun. But when you take a time off, you realise a lot of things, you get to understand the small things that are crucial," he said in this regard.

After back-to-back wins, Mumbai Indians will now face their arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, April 14.

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