‘Not overthinking, not keeping expectations’: Ishan Kishan reveals mindset behind epic 270 in Duleep Trophy final | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: Ishan Kishan believes having a clear mind has helped him rediscover his best form. After hitting a stunning 270 in the Duleep Trophy final, East Zone captain Kishan said he has learned to avoid overthinking and putting unnecessary pressure on himself.For Kishan, the focus is now simple – score runs and help his team win matches. His marathon knock against South Zone was a clear sign of the change in his mindset after a difficult phase in his career.“I didn’t actively try to change myself. It just happened naturally. When I was out of the (India) squad, I realised that we ultimately only have one job to do: simply to score runs. That is the only thing that helps you in your career,” Kishan said in the post-day press meet.“Any other thoughts will only manipulate your mindset, push you into overthinking, and pile on unnecessary pressure. I realised that those extraneous thoughts aren’t necessary. Our job is to step in and win matches for the team. That’s all you should care about. You evolve with time, and I feel it is much easier to play this way when you keep your mind clear,” he added.
From India regular to domestic cricket
Kishan was an all-format India player in 2023, but a series of events saw him lose his place in the team and eventually his BCCI central contract. He then returned to domestic cricket and worked hard to rebuild his career.Kishan scored centuries in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy and played an important role in Jharkhand’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy triumph. He scored 517 runs in the tournament, including two hundreds. His strong performances soon earned him a BCCI contract and a return to India’s white-ball teams.
‘My job as a batsman is just to go there’
Kishan said he now tries not to think too much about the result or his position in the team.“The best thing I’m doing nowadays is not thinking about anything. My job as a batsman is just to go there, watch the ball, and react to it and not keep any expectations from myself. At times, you will, obviously, lose patience. But that is the time when you have to talk to yourself; you have to control that, calm your thoughts about whether you are taking the right decision or not, and after that, you execute your plans,” he said.
Preparing for red-ball cricket
Kishan also explained how he prepared for the Duleep Trophy after spending time playing white-ball cricket.“I was here at the BCCI CoE before coming here. We were practicing there, specifically with the red ball. When you play T20s regularly, you start playing a lot of shots — which is what happened in my first innings against the North East Zone (in Duleep Trophy). In the middle, I went to play a cut and then got double-minded about whether to hit it or not and got out.”Ahead of the final, Kishan changed his focus and spent more time building partnerships instead of looking for quick runs.
Building partnerships was the key
“When you’re playing a final and you are already a multi-format player, who has played for India for quite some time, the team members expect you to score runs. So, it’s very important for me to be in the middle and get as many runs for your team.“The plan remained simple: keep adding 50-run partnerships as much as possible. A lot of things factor in picking up when their bowlers are tiring, when they are opening up the field—so you keep batting around these things without worrying about the result,” he explained.
Kishan reflects on his domestic stint
Kishan said returning to domestic cricket was not something he considered a punishment.Instead, he enjoyed the experience and used the time to reflect on his game and understand where he needed to improve.“I genuinely enjoyed it because I went back, had to grind and work hard for about two years (when he was out of the team). But sometimes, what happens is, when we play regularly for the Indian team, you just keep playing in a flow. You might be a very good player which is why you’re playing for India, but your growth stagnates at a certain point. So when you take one step back and go back to domestic cricket, you start from zero again.“You start thinking, ‘I need to get even better,’ because today, there are so many players scoring runs. So, to get back into the team, your only option is to perform much better than them.“Nothing against anyone, but I’m saying you’ll only benefit if you do better. So, you have to start again. You get time to reflect on what you missed earlier, why you couldn’t convert your starts into big scores. The batting doesn’t change that much; it’s just the mindset that changes over time,” he detailed.
