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R Sai Kishore, all of 25 years old, is a serial winner. His budding trophy cabinet already boasts of Indian Premier League (IPL) crowns with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Gujarat Titans (GT), Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) titles with the Chepauk Super Gillies, and the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali trophies with Tamil Nadu.
Sai Kishore had a highly productive TNPL 2022 season with CSG, who finished as the joint-winners. The most decorated franchise in TNPL history placed immense faith in their star recruit, who excelled with both bat and ball in the six matches he played. He finished with 11 wickets at an economy rate of 6.04 to go with 111 runs, including two Player of the Match awards.
Sai Kishore's batting, usually in the top five, was a particular standout. Coming in to bat at 48/3 against the Lyca Kovai Kings in a game where he had already registered figures of 2/25, he hit 48 off 33 in a superb counterattacking display to take CSG over the line in the penultimate over. Two games later, the 25-year-old struck a 27-ball 43 (along with figures of 1/28) after coming in at 1/2, again helping the Super Gillies collect two points.
These welcome batting displays were interspersed by left-arm spin of the highest quality. Sai Kishore sent down an outrageous 4-3-2-4 spell against Tiruppur and scalped three wickets in the TNPL 2022 final against the Kovai Kings.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, the young cricketer opened up about a variety of topics, including his experience bowling to the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the nets as well as his relationship with GT head coach Ashish Nehra and captain Hardik Pandya. He also spoke about his personal development as a cricketer and his displays in tournaments like the TNPL.
Excerpts from R Sai Kishore's exclusive interview with Sportskeeda
Q: What does your offseason look like right now? How have you been keeping yourself occupied of late and how do you keep yourself motivated while playing a lower level of cricket?
R Sai Kishore: The league [Chennai first division] is about to start, so overall preparation is going on. My job as a cricketer is to play cricket. I want to keep getting better; it doesn't matter whether I'm playing for India or in the IPL or first-division league, because to me I'm playing cricket. It doesn't matter to me if the stadium is packed with a crowd shouting for me or if there's no one watching me. Joy comes from playing the sport.
Q: Finger-spinners have struggled a bit in T20s of late. What's your take on that, considering that they usually don't have as many outright variations as wrist-spinners?
R Sai Kishore: For bowlers in T20s, it's not about what skillset you possess - it's about how well you can execute it. The most important thing is accuracy, but not the same type of ball ball after ball. If you look at Sunil Narine, the reason why he has been so successful is not because he has the ability to turn the ball both ways but because of his consistency with length. Finger-spinners are coming back into the game because they can be a lot more accurate than wrist-spinners. Among wrist-spinners, there are a few skilful players who can do it but not all.
Q: On a personal level, where do you stand with respect to variations like the carrom ball and the googly? We haven't seen you bowl them much, but would you say it's accurate to claim that you are confident of using them in high-level matches?
R Sai Kishore: I have the variations in my armory, but I haven't had the need to use them. I'm slowly starting to see the need to use them in certain situations, but I'll only use them if I'm pushed to a corner. I'll only bowl the carrom ball and the googly if I have to. I don't want to use them just to create a perception that I have those variations. I'm not playing for anyone else. I can provide results with orthodox bowling, but if there comes a need to change the pattern, I'll definitely change.
Q: You've always been a capable batter but you haven't exactly been a power-hitter. That has appeared to have changed over the last year or so. Have you made a conscious effort to develop your range hitting, and does your IPL stint with GT have any credit to take for that?
R Sai Kishore: After a point in time, you need to have the power game to play white-ball cricket. It's a mandate now, and I'm someone who has worked on it since the 2018 season. It's just now that it's clicking for me. Sadly, I could only gain results in the red-ball format and I couldn't get those results as quickly as I expected. Finally, range hitting has started to click for me. It's not just Gujarat; everything has played a role. It's like watering a plant. When it's a seed, you water it continuously and you don't know it exists until it sprouts. It's a gradual process. I haven't reached my full potential; I'm at maybe 20%. I have a lot of room to grow in my batting.
Q: Speaking of your batting, we've seen you take on increased responsibility in the TNPL with CSG. CSG have often used you in the top five, especially in the event of top-order collapses. What does your role in the team entail and how have CSG managed to get the most out of R Sai Kishore, the batter?
R Sai Kishore: Initially it was only when we lost early wickets to lengthen the batting order. I was really prepared this year. It properly fit into the team's plans and at one point I was the designated No. 4. It's not just about tactics - it has to do with technique. I always had the technique to survive and play fast bowling on a seaming track. It's just about using that resource and maximing it. R Prasanna is a smart thinker and coach, and he saw that value in me. Instead of losing another batter, it was worth the gamble. Plus, I could do the job because I had the skills.
Q: Your versatility has been on display with the ball as well while playing for CSG. You've bowled in the powerplay; you've bowled in the middle overs; you've bowled at the death. How does the think tank decide when to bowl you?
R Sai Kishore: I've always wanted to bowl the tough overs, when the team is under pressure. I'll bowl in the powerplay in 120-130 chases; I'll ask for the new ball and bowl. It would've been some situation like that. I've bowled at the death as well, in matches where fast-bowler matchups didn't work out. My role has been very flexible.
Q: During this TNPL season, we saw you bowl an outrageous spell of 4-3-2-4. Walk us through that feat. Was it just one of those days when everything clicked or do you see that as an embodiment of how consistent you are as a bowler?
R Sai Kishore: In some games it happens. Got a lot of dots in the powerplay and then they wanted to play me out. It might never happen again in my career. It just happened [laughs].
Q: You're definitely the kind of person who would welcome a leadership role and you've captained in the TNPL before too. Is that something you'll actively seek out in the future, both in the TNPL and for Tamil Nadu?
R Sai Kishore: Whether it's Tamil Nadu or Chepauk Super Gillies, when the ball is in my hand, I have to think as a leader. I have to win the game for my side. I'm always playing for the team and I want to continue to do that. Whether I'm the captain or not, I'm doing the same thing when I'm bowling. If it happens naturally it's great, but that's what I'm doing anyway. I want to be a complete all-rounder and a leader - anything to make the team win championships. I'll be happy to do whatever role but I really crave the feeling of winning a championship. If I'm the leader and contributor, I'll do that. If I need to play a smaller role, I'll do that.
Q: You're not the kind of person to put pressure on yourself with certain goals in mind, so this question is going to receive only one answer. But what can we expect from R Sai Kishore in the next few months or years?
R Sai Kishore: I'll bowl better. I'll bat better. I'll be sharper on the field. I'll get even better in the next few years [laughs].
