A player of his quality didn’t deserve to be on the sidelines, and although CSK attempted to reacquire the man they clearly had faith in, the Gujarat Titans (GT) were more willing to splash the cash.
Shelling out INR 3 crore, a massive increase from Sai Kishore’s base-price purchase during the previous auction, the IPL newbies snapped up the services of one of the brightest young bowling talents in the country. He repaid the investment, scalping six wickets from five matches at an economy rate of 7.56 as GT cruised to the title in their maiden season.
GT started the season with four pace options, but as Hardik Pandya grew into his bowling role and the pitches started to slow down, they changed the composition of the playing XI. Often playing a batter light, the Titans threw the ball to the uncapped Sai Kishore, whose control and smarts led to him becoming the second spinner after Rashid Khan at the most crucial stage of the season.
Several GT players have been vocal about their appreciation for the team management, which placed ample emphasis on clear communication and keeping things simple.
Sai Kishore is no different. In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, he showered praise on head coach Ashish Nehra and captain Hardik, calling them genuine human beings who carried out their leadership duties with grace and poise.
Coming into IPL 2022, Gujarat weren’t among the favorites. In fact, it seemed like the new franchise would languish among the bottom places in the points table due to a supposedly fragile batting lineup and minimal bench strength. But GT were the surprise package in the league stage as they ran through their opposition to book their place in Qualifier 1 before going on to claim the crown.
Asked about the secret behind the Titans’ unprecedented run to the title, Sai Kishore threw his weight behind the five-bowler strategy while elucidating that key players performed their roles to perfection.
“My career hasn’t been about doing well in one season and making it to the IPL” - R Sai Kishore
Sai Kishore rubbed heads with the best in the business at CSK, but nothing can replicate the learnings garnered from time spent on the field. Following a successful season with GT, the 25-year-old is ready to build on the positive feedback he has received.
Sai Kishore made his first-class debut back in 2017 and, while he has always been on an upward trajectory, his journey to the IPL hasn’t been rapid. He has had to work hard at each level of cricket to climb, slowly but surely. The left-arm spinner is conscious of the fact that he can’t rest easy now that he has made it to the prestigious league and believes he needs to stay on his toes throughout.
After several years at the domestic level, Sai Kishore has molded himself into someone who isn’t far from a call-up to the senior Indian squad. Having bowled to the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the Indian nets, he believes he has what it takes to succeed in international cricket.
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