Ishan Kishan, the biggest purchase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 auction, has recalled Virat Kohli’s advice, which the latter gave him in the last IPL season. Kishan, who was bought by Mumbai Indians at INR 15.25 crores, has also explained how Kohli and Rohit Sharma have helped him grow.
shan Kishan is widely regarded as one of the most promising young stars for India. He was picked up by Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 at a whopping INR 15.25 crores, making him the most expensive buy of the edition, and the second-most at auctions overall, after Yuvraj Singh.
In a recent conversation with Times of India, Kishan recalled a message Virat Kohli gave him during the IPL 2021 season when the former was having a lean patch. Kishan also spoke about his admiration for Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and stated that he wants to be “as dedicated as they are.”
Speaking about his aspirations, Kishan said, “Initially I used to think ‘kuch na kuch achcha hi hoga yaar… bas khelte raho, run banaate raho’. But later my point of view changed. When I look at Rohit bhai, Virat bhai and the benchmarks they’ve set for themselves, that’s where I want to head. I want to be as dedicated as they are and emulate them. Earlier I used to think, ‘chalo cricket chal raha hai, everything is good’.
“It took me a while to understand what goes into this whole ‘chalte rehna’ bit. I gradually began picking up things. For instance, the conversation I had with Virat bhai where he said ‘Dus mein se saat cheez tujhe sacrifice karna padega’. Little things.”
Further, Kishan revealed that he was worried when the franchises went to get him during the IPL 2022 auction, admitting that he did not want to go anywhere else but MI.
“I knew MI would go for me. That wasn’t the worrying bit. The worrying part was the rising price because MI needed to save on money to build the rest of the team. It wasn’t just about me. For a minute there, I must admit, my heart skipped a beat,” said Kishan.
Kishan also clarified the reason behind his desire to remain at his former franchise.
“There’s a reason why I wanted to come back to MI. They know me, they understand my game and I know my franchise and how it works. Because I’ve been part of this family, I was sure I didn’t want to go anywhere else. I’ve been here four years and the bonding has been amazing. We’ve won two trophies, stood for each other and with each other, they know my cricket and I know they will take care of me. So, I didn’t want to go anywhere else,” he added.
