New Delhi: Watching Vaibhav Sooryavanshi drive almost full left Ishan Kishan The Sunrisers Hyderabad batsman was shocked when he stood on the field and witnessed the 15-year-old veteran bowling towering sixes from the crease into the stands. Sooryavanshi scored his second century in the IPL with a score of 103 off 37 balls against the Pat Cummins-led SRH side.Sooryavanshi’s scoring pace is astonishing and he ranks third in IPL history, reaching the milestone in just 36 balls and delivering a formidable 228/6 for Rajasthan Royals.However, SRH had the final say, chasing down the target of 229 runs in 9 balls. Ishan led with a 31-ball 74 while Abhishek Sharma’s 57 off 29 overs led SRH to 229/5 in 18.3 overs.It’s not just a high-scoring thriller from Jaipur, it also features light-hearted and lively dialogues between Ishan and teen star Surya Vanshi.Post-match, Ishan revealed that he had a chat with the youngster, who lit up the game with his explosive innings.“I just told him how crazy he was when he hit the ball and the way he hit it. Sometimes, you even get scared to think about what the scorecard would have looked like if he’d stayed a few more times.“So, it was important for us to get his wicket. It was 228 and it could have been 258. Cricket is all about reversals. We got him out and did a little reversal there. That’s what I told him, ‘When I play against you, please go easy on my team. I know all your secrets and inside stories’,” joked Ishan.Ishan’s comeback storyFor Ishan, the moment also highlighted how far he has come. His absence from the Indian team was a frustrating one, but the southpaw continued to toil in domestic cricket, patiently waiting for opportunities and grabbing them when they came.He returned to the Indian team earlier this year for the T20I series against the New Zealand national cricket team and the T20 World Cup, earning a recall as captain after a stellar domestic season that saw him score over 500 runs and win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.Looking back on that period, Ishan said he chose not to dwell on his absence and instead focused on improving his consistency.“When I didn’t play and left the team, I told myself I couldn’t cry or sulk about it. This is the easiest thing for any athlete to do. It might win you some sympathy from some people and you might even feel good, but it won’t get you anywhere,” Ishan told JioHotstar.“The only thing that can get me back into the game is runs. So, I’m just trying to improve my game and score as many runs as possible, even if it means hitting more sixes than any other batsman.”He added that the phase only made him hungrier.“Only consistent run-scoring can get you back into the team. If 300 runs in a season is not enough, score 400; if not, score 500. At the end of the day, cricket is our daily bread.“When you leave the team you understand its importance and start to respect every game. You become hungrier and that’s my focus: to be the best,” he added.Ishan, who is now batting third, showed maturity with a 31-ball 74 in the same match to lead SRH to a steep chase.“After playing as a No. 3 batsman for so many years, if you’re ready, you look to score runs and bat to the end. It makes it easier for the other batsmen to work with you because they don’t feel the pressure.“That’s my only thought, keep things as simple as possible, keep a good head space and take one game at a time. If we play good cricket, the rest of the team will learn from it.“At the end of the day, it’s a team sport. When you play good cricket, others are affected too. I’ve made a lot of mistakes too, so my only goal is not to repeat them again, and unfortunately, I ended up making mistakes in this game,” he added.
