No matter what level of cricket he is playing in, Ishan Kishan is intent on living in the moment and seizing every chance that presents itself. Well-known for his aggressive strokeplay, Kishan is leading Jharkhand in the current Ranji Trophy 2025–26 season.
On the first day of his campaign, he scored a back-to-the-wall century against Tamil Nadu. When his team’s top-order faltered on a green top in Coimbatore, Kishan came to the rescue with his ninth first-class ton.
On the first day, the 27-year-old wicketkeeper batsman returned unbeaten at 125 (183) at stumps. With Kishan and Sahil Raj putting up an unbroken 150-run partnership for the seventh wicket, Jharkhand finished with a commanding 307/6.
“At this stage, I need to be very smart. You need to understand the importance of the Ranji Trophy. You need to understand the importance of these matches when you play against big teams,” a ESPNcricinfo report quoted Kishan as saying.
When Jharkhand were struggling at 79/3 just after lunch, Kishan walked in at No. 5 and took charge in the next two sessions. Instead of resorting to his trademark aggression, he showed restraint and composure, steadying the innings and guiding his team back into contention. For most of his stay, he put the big shots away, save for a couple of sixes that punctuated his mature knock.
“You make so many mistakes initially in your career, and then later you realise the real meaning of experience. You have to be in the middle, and only then can you change the game. I was checking the wind when the left-arm spinner was bowling. I really wanted to go after him hard. But looking at the scoreboard, six wickets down did not feel right for me. I did it [bat with caution] once in the Irani Cup and here in the Ranji Trophy, where I’m the experienced and the only India player in the team,” Kishan said.
“My job was to ensure we were batting at stumps. I was actually wanting to go for sixes. But the situation demanded otherwise. This comes with experience. When you play enough matches, you sometimes realise that singles are more important than sixes, and over time, your mindset changes. A partnership was important to make their bowlers tired,” he added.
Following Rishabh Pant’s foot injury earlier this year, Kishan was considered for a possible call-up for India’s fifth Test match against England. His brief appearance for Nottinghamshire saw him smash 77 and 87 in two innings, giving him a decent build-up.
However, around the same time, he sustained bruises in an e-bike accident in the UK, prompting the selectors to name Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan as cover. Now, as Kishan edges closer to forcing his way back into the Indian side, he isn’t setting any specific targets — instead, he’s focused on making the most of every opportunity that comes his way.
“Whenever I go in with a target, I just do very badly. I just do something which is not important. So let’s not keep any target this season. Just keep on batting. If you are in the middle, you will get as many runs as you want. That’s the only goal for me,” Kishan added.
