“The art of leg-spin is creating something that is not really there,” the legendary Shane Warne said in his autobiography, No Spin. “It is a magic trick, surrounded by mystery, aura and fear. When I say I create things that aren’t there, I’m actually working with little things – subtleties like moving the fielder from one position to another and back again for no good reason, other than to show to the batsman I’m in charge of the pace of the game.”
The way Warne went about outmanoeuvering Graham Gooch, the former England skipper, with field settings and subtle changes in line at Edgbaston, is an example of the above-mentioned point. The 27-year-old Sai Kishore from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, also belongs to the spin-bowling tribe. Although he bowls slow left-arm orthodox and not leg-spin, some of the points that Warne mentioned apply to his bowling as well. After having paddled through different stages in domestic cricket, Kishore’s instincts have become his main strategy room. It is helping him to sow the seeds of doubt in the batter’s mind and also deliver the killer punch.
“I used to be very, very analytical,” he tells RevSportz with a smile. “But of late, I have learnt to be more instinctive. I believe, because of the sheer number of games that you watch, the sheer number of games that you play, a little bit of instinct comes within you. And I have started trusting the instinct a lot more. Right now, my instinct is my biggest analyst inside me. So, whatever he says, I try to do. I still try to gain stats from the analysts, try to get as much footage of my opponent.
“In the recent Duleep trophy game at the Chinnaswamy, there was nothing from round the wicket. So, when we needed a wicket, we felt we should go over the wicket, try to hit the rough and do something. From nowhere, it jumped and got the glove and it went to short leg. Such a feeling is very good, as you feel your instinct is working very well.” The wicket he took was that of Tanush Kotian, the India A all-rounder.
Kishore’s bowling smarts are one of his key traits. But hidden beneath it is a characteristic that stands out among all his qualities: His humility and modest demeanour. The kind of qualities that parents hope is instilled in their child’s mental make-up. To illustrate the point either, let’s delve deeper through his domestic career so far.
Even though Kishore made his senior debut for Tamil Nadu at the age of just 20, he had to bide his time in order to play in the higher echelons of cricket. A fine 2018-19 Ranji Trophy season was followed by an impressive show in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2019-20 – Kishore finished as the leading wicket-taker with 20 wickets at an average of 10.40 and a noteworthy economy rate of 4.63.
It is true that he was picked by Chennai Super Kings for of 20 lakhs at the 2020 IPL Auction. Kishore, however, made his IPL debut only in 2022 for Gujarat Titans. During this year’s IPL, his season was cut short after he sustained a neck injury while playing golf. The injury was such that he had a problem or two while sleeping or sitting. Kishore, though, has the right kind of mentality to take everything in his stride – be it success or setbacks. And that is the crux of his mental strength. And that is how he is able to withstand the pressure of playing in a high-pressure environment like the IPL.
“It is just the nature of the game (when the batter attacks him in T20 cricket),” he said. “I don’t see it as tough or anything. I am there to play a role for the team. It is about the team winning, not about me doing well. So, when I think of the team, the pressure goes away. A lot of things I have learnt from CSK, Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni), in how to deal with different situations and how to play for the team. When that is your goal, you don’t worry much about getting hit. Most times, I don’t even know how much I am getting hit for.
“For a cricketer to play in the IPL, he has all the luxuries of the world. And I have been in domestic cricket, where I have played for five years and not got picked in the IPL. The sheer amount of competition that one has to go through before getting into the IPL is surreal. It didn’t build my ego, but it ingrained humility and character. As I have gone through the grind and am now playing in the IPL, you can understand how much grateful I am to be there in the IPL. So, I don’t see it as a pressure but I only see it as an opportunity.”
Kishore’s mental strength was on display during the IPL 2024 game between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans. At some point during that match, it felt as if the dew factor had made its presence felt. It didn’t seem to affect Kishore’s game as he bagged the prized scalp of a set Rohit Sharma and took 1 for 24 from his quota of overs. This is what he had to say about navigating tricky conditions for a bowler.
“There was dew around, but I was also surprised to see some purchase on the wicket,” he said. “I had no fear, I was coming out of a very good season of Ranji Trophy, I was confident. I had very good backing from Ashish Nehra, who was the coach of GT. He had a lot of trust in me. More than that, when you work hard, when you’re honest, good things happen. That was one such day, when the odds were against me, but I somehow managed to put up a performance. Very grateful to the whole universe for making it happen.”
The salient feature of Kishore’s mentality is very much visible when he opens up about his stunning performance in the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy. Kishore didn’t just take the most wickets for the season (53 scalps), but his leadership was also instrumental in ensuring Tamil Nadu qualified for the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since the 2016-17 season. On his part, Kishore stresses on the kind of support he received from his team-mates.
“It was a very good experience for me as a leader, player,” he said. “For us to get the belief that we can win the Ranji Trophy, that is the biggest positive of the last season. At the start of the season, I never imagined that I would end up as the highest wicket-taker, nor did I bowl for that. I just wanted my team to win, I just wanted to come out as better in different situations.
“In that process, wickets came to me, but all those things were a byproduct. I was very fortunate that I had very good people around me – Ajith Ram, Sandeep Warrier, batters like Indrajith, Jagadeesan, all these guys who have been there with me for a period of time. For the players to buy into my style of play, and into what I am trying to say, it was a blessing to lead such a team. It just ran on its own without any leader.”
When you ask him about his formative years, his down-to-earth nature shines through. He affectionately takes up the name of all his coaches. He reserves special praise for his first coach, Janakiraman, and Hrishikesh Kanitkar, his former coach at Tamil Nadu. “My childhood coach’s name was Janakiraman,” he said. “One thing he instilled in me was hard work.First two years, Kanitker was there as a coach of TN. He helped me learn how to perform when you are not feeling good.
“When you’re not bowling well or batting well, how can you still take wickets. As a batter and captain, what kind of strategies you can play with. You don’t have to be flamboyant to take wickets. Previously, coming from Under-19 or Under-23 cricket, you feel like you have to bat or bowl well every time.”
There is also a fascinating backstory attached to the early stages of Kishore’s career. Here was a cricketer who hardly showed interest in taking up the game during his childhood days. But in no time, all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle fell in place and at the age of 15, he was already a part of Tamil Nadu’s age-group set-up.
“Honestly, I never thought of having a career in cricket,” he said. “I was a good student at school, I was studying well. Cricket just happened to me suddenly. At the age of 12, I decided to take up coaching. Before that, I hardly even played outside. I would have been playing with my brother and dad, but nothing serious. Sometimes, I feel it was all destined to happen that way.
“My cousin started playing it, so I also began to play the game. I hardly knew anyone in the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, my family was not into cricket or any sports for that matter. I joined an academy called Adambakkam Cricket Academy. The school would end at 3.30-3.45 PM. I would run, just take my cycle, pedaling quickly to the ground, practice till 7.30 PM and come back and have dinner. And again start in the morning by 6 AM. Once I graduated out of school, the time I spent playing cricket just increased.”
All those evergreen experiences have proved to be the cornerstone of Kishore’s achievements. He was a part of the gold-medal-winning Indian side in the Asian Games last year. He quips, “Competing, leave alone winning, at the Asian Games was a fantastic experience. A long-awaited desire to represent the country was fulfilled.”
Kishore’s attributes aren’t just suited to T20 cricket as he has shown time and again in the Ranji Trophy that he is a consistent performer in the four-day format. Kishore has the necessary variations, including the carrom ball. He also has the tactical nous and patience to chisel out a way through tough phases in the longest format. He is definitely knocking on the doors of the Indian selection panel ahead of a busy season, which includes enough Test matches at home.
Only time will tell whether Kishore will wear the white flannels for India. Even if it doesn’t work out that way, he will take life as it comes. “I feel for a lot of cricketers, cricket becomes your life,” he said. “You perform or not, cricket decides your happiness. I believe cricket is within your life, but life has its own game. If you feel eternal happiness in life, that is the goal of life I feel. In that sense, I just try to live my life moment to moment. I just like to explore the world, read a lot, meditate on my own.”