"I'm one of the best bowlers in the world" - R Sai Kishore confidently and calmly running the happy course of life [Exclusive]

R Sai Kishore isn't a man of extreme emotions. By his own admission, he tries to keep himself grounded, take things as they come, and not feel too good or too bad about anything.

But even Sai Kishore couldn't keep his emotions in check as the Indian national anthem blared out of the speakers at the Zhejiang University of Technology Cricket Field in Hangzhou, China on October 3, 2023. Cameras captured him, making his first apperance for the national team in the quarterfinal of the Asian Games, belting out the anthem while wiping away a stray tear or two.

In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Sai Kishore recollects how his T20I debut panned out and reflects on it with typical balance. He also makes the first of many references to the word "flow" and talks about "a sense of belonging."

"Every cricketer is conditioned in his head that he has to play for India," Sai Kishore tells Sportskeeda. "A lot of things aligned for me to play there, I went there as a net bowler. Akash Deep didn’t get his visa, and I was very impressive, so I played the games. When a lot of things happen, the mind won’t take it. You can’t explain how these things happen; they just flow. Because of this conditioning, naturally you become very emotional."

“It felt very normal, honestly. It was just another game. I’m someone who’s not through the roof with his emotions; it was simple. But I did have a sense of belonging - this is where I should play. I’m not sure how to explain it. Imagine A.R. Rahman sir does a concert, and the venue is good, then things will just work out and be elevated to the next level. I got that kind of feeling. Not that either level is high or low, I’m not saying that. But it was something I hadn’t tasted, and my desire to compete at that level was fulfilled,” he adds.

India won the Asian Games under Ruturaj Gaikwad's leadership, with Sai Kishore picking up four wickets in three matches at an economy rate of 5.25. While he is yet to add to those three caps, Ravindra Jadeja's T20I retirement and an increased role in the Indian Premier League could see the left-arm spinner vault up the pecking order soon.

Towards the end of IPL 2024, Sai Kishore found himself on the Gujarat Titans bench once again despite excellent performances to kick off the campaign. A troublesome neck spasm and team combination were factors that influenced his omission, but he doesn't look back on that with any negativity whatsoever.

"Some things - based on what has happened, you get confidence. But what is going to happen, the mind doesn’t know and assumes things to be good and bad. If these things happen, it just means that there’s a bigger thing waiting to happen. In the last phase, I had a very bad neck spasm which didn’t recover for 15 days. Why it came, how it came, nobody knows. I was barely able to walk. The mind won’t accept the truths it doesn’t know, " Sai Kishore says.

While he was part of the XII, Sai Kishore was thrust into some tricky situations. Shivam Dube smacked him for a couple of sixes immediately after making his way to the crease, and Tristan Stubbs made the most of a late introduction to the bowling attack by picking him apart at the death.

Sai Kishore attributes those boundaries to failed execution. If you didn't know him, you'd be shocked to hear him say that he's really glad those experiences happened to him. But as someone who knows the clarity with which the spinner approaches his game, the author of this piece is least surprised.

"If you execute, there are very few players who can actually take you on. I’m one of the best bowlers in the world, and I really believe it," Sai Kishore claims. "When I execute, you can name people who can hit me. If an over is going for 20+, I wasn’t at my best with the execution. That is what would have happened. And from a team management call, they only gave me that over because I’m ready for it and up for the challenge."

Only a few days prior to that expensive over against the Delhi Capitals, Sai Kishore had bowled a crucial over at the death against the Punjab Kings while two left-handers were at the crease. He returned four wickets in that contest, his best IPL figures to date.

Even in the DC clash, Sai Kishore found a way to make an impact with the bat and on the field. He smacked successive sixes off Rasikh Salam to take the Titans to the doopstep of victory, although it wasn't to be. He jokingly insists that he now knows how not to bowl an over in the IPL.

"I gave my best, but I was just quick through the overs. Maybe if my heart rate was slightly lesser, I would’ve got my rhythm," he speculates. "That gave me a lot of experience in how not to bowl an over in the IPL. It’s good that it happened now instead of in a final. I needed that to happen to me. Nothing as failure or success. That match, I fielded and batted well. If I hadn’t gotten bowled, we’d have won that game. There’s nothing more than that to analyze. The opposition is also trying to win; we might as well be happy that they got what they wanted [laughs]!”

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Tamil Nadu's present and impending rise under R Sai Kishore

He bowls, he bats, he fields, and he captains as well [Image Courtesy: iplt20.com]

Tamil Nadu made the knockouts of the Ranji Trophy for the first time in six years under the leadership of Sai Kishore, who was in excellent form with the ball in both the white-ball and red-ball domestic campaigns. What also stood out was his leadership - for a team that has had a plethora of names at the helm over the last few years, having a stable skipper was the need of the hour.

What changed this year?

"I think one of the most important things about captaincy is that you can’t say you won because of you," Sai Kishore introspectively tells Sportskeeda. "Most things were the same. I wanted to be emotionally very stable. I’ve approached my game in a way that results don’t matter and only the way you play does. It’s about staying true to yourself and style of play. A lot of things have to come together. I had a lot of freedom given from the overall setup and I felt like I could do anything. It was my team."

"I also had a lot of good seniors," he is quick to add. "[Baba] Indrajith is a fantastic pro. If I go to war, Inder will be the first guy I call. The job gets much easier then. Inder is very good with strategy, Jaggi [N Jagadeesan] is very good with his instinct. I make sure everybody’s the captain. Maybe some calls I have to take, like XIs, toss, and backing a player. The bowler can do whatever he wants. If he wants four slips, they will be given. I am not a dictator there for people to follow my orders. I want people to be creative and I want them to be themselves. The youngsters can also do whatever they want in a setup like this, as long as it’s for the team."

Tamil Nadu had a poor start to the Ranji Trophy, and that helped Sai Kishore reach a mental space characterized by freedom. Results faded to the backdrop of the process, and things just "flowed" for the most part.

However, in the semifinal, TN unraveled in the face of a rearguard effort from Mumbai's lower order. Shardul Thakur, Hardik Tamore, Tanush Kotian and Tushar Deshpande added 272 runs for the last three wickets, and a first-innings lead that once seemed headed to Tamil Nadu ended up as a 232-run advantage for the eventual champions.

"Shardul played a lot of good shots, " Sai Kishore admitted. "Tanush is a very good player; he isn’t a No. 9 or a No. 10. So there weren’t many emotions. I’m not complaining, but I feel like someone should have showed up then. Nothing is actually a big game; it’s an illusion. But in our mind, it’s there."

"In the years to come, Tamil Nadu will be more used to these situations. It’s tougher in red-ball cricket, where you’re just running around like a chicken and don’t know where to go sometimes. This is a very good example of how to bat, and it’s a good learning. As a bowling unit, to be very honest, we tried everything we could. We weren’t going through the motions. We could’ve showed up even more and been more brave, but what can we do? Next time, I really believe people will show up," he says.

Tamil Nadu's rise has been a long time coming, and Dinesh Karthik is a player most of the younger generation in the state have expressed their admiration for along the journey. Sai Kishore feels no differently about the recently retired legend.

“In 2016-17, we won the Vijay Hazare and Deodhar. The setup wasn’t great for the next 2-3 years. When DK came back, he had control, managed players well, and opened up nicely. That year, a lot of people played IPL again, we went to the white-ball finals. Since then it’s been a fantastic path. DK and R Prasanna were the minds behind that. He’d be 33-34 but working more than any of the youngsters. Those things rub onto people. Even this year, he captained Vijay Hazare and we went to the semifinals. He’d do everything on his own. Fantastic. The way he has just showed up; it’s not easy. It has not only helped him but a whole bunch of cricketers from Tamil Nadu.”

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"I'm sleeping well, I'm eating well, I'm happy" - R Sai Kishore

Sai Kishore hasn't been picked in the squad for the Zimbabwe T20I series, but that doesn't bother him too much. The 27-year-old doesn't rely on external validation from selectors or fans, and is happy with the way his cricket is progressing.

Sai Kishore will be seen in action in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, which commences today in Salem. He produces a calm and composed answer when asked what the road ahead holds for him.

"I don’t have much to do. I’m very happy where I am. Life is amazing. I want to get better as a cricketer, with my batting, my bowling. There’s another 20% to go with my bowling. This season, it’ll definitely come into the picture. With the bat, it’s getting better, and it’ll be even more better. For my own satisfaction, I want to do that. I’m sleeping well, I’m eating well. I’m happy. I’ll be more content after I give it my all," Sai Kishore concludes.