New Delhi [India], October 16 : Out-of-favour India batter Ishan Kishan is focused on the present and wants to enjoy every opportunity that falls his way, irrespective of the level of cricket he is playing in. Known for his belligerent strokeplay, Kishan is currently captaining Jharkhand in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season.
He kicked off his campaign by notching a back-to-the-wall century against Tamil Nadu on the opening day. With his ninth first-class ton, Kishan played the rescue act after his top-order wobbled on Coimbatore's green strip.
The 27-year-old wicketkeeper batter returned unbeaten on 125 (183) after stumps on the opening day. Jharkhand stood in a pole position, finishing with 307/6 with Kishan and Sahil Raj raising an unbroken 150-run stand for the seventh wicket.
"At this stage, I need to be very smart. You need to understand the importance of the Ranji Trophy. You need to understand the importance of these matches when you play against big teams," Kishan said after the day's play, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
When Jharkhand was tottering at 79/3 just after lunch, Kishan walked out at number five, rolled up his sleeve in the subsequent two sessions. He refrained from tackling the situation in his usual swashbuckling manner but remained composed while pulling Jharkhand back into the mix. For the majority of his stay, he shelved the big hits apart from the two sixes in his innings.
"You make so many mistakes initially in your career, and then later you realise the real meaning of experience. You have to be in the middle, and only then can you change the game. I was checking the wind when the left-arm spinner was bowling. I really wanted to go after him hard. But looking at the scoreboard, six wickets down did not feel right for me. I did it [bat with caution] once in the Irani Cup and here in the Ranji Trophy, where I'm the experienced and the only India player in the team," Kishan said.
"My job was to ensure we were batting at stumps. I was actually wanting to go for sixes. But the situation demanded otherwise. This comes with experience. When you play enough matches, you sometimes realise that singles are more important than sixes, and over time, your mindset changes. A partnership was important to make their bowlers tired," he added.
Kishan was in contention for a potential call-up for India's fifth Test against England earlier this year after Rishabh Pant sustained a foot injury. He had a decent build-up to the tournament, walloping 77 and 87 in two innings during his short stint for Nottinghamshire.
However, he ended up suffering bruises from an e-bike accident in the UK around the same time, which led to Tamil Nadu's N Jagadeesan being picked as a cover. As Kishan approaches knocking on the management's door for a return to the Indian team, he isn't planning to set a target; instead, he plans to make the most of the opportunity that comes his way.
"Whenever I go in with a target, I just do very badly. I just do something which is not important. So let's not keep any target this season. Just keep on batting. If you are in the middle, you will get as many runs as you want. That's the only goal for me," Kishan concluded.
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