Perseverant R Sai Kishore continues to maximize minimal opportunities

When the Gujarat Titans (GT) faced the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their own backyard a couple of weeks ago, a little clip featuring R Sai Kishore went viral on the internet.

It wasn't a cracking delivery that bamboozled a quality batter. Nor was it one of breathtaking brilliance on the field. It was of a man who wore a deadpan expression and stared into the cameras, occasionally blinking his eyes.

Sai Kishore brings a certain element of vibrance, be it on the field or outside of it. It was evident in the many entertaining clips Chennai Super Kings (CSK) posted on their social media profiles when the Tamil Nadu spinner was part of their roster in 2020 and 2021. A lad who enjoys every moment and cherishes it.

Back to the aforementioned instance, there's every possibility then that he knew the cameras were on him and he pulled off his own version of Andrew Tye's stare. Except, conjecture was crying out loud and pleading the Titans management to hand him an opportunity for one of the finest white-ball spinners in the country today had a measly seven IPL caps against his name.

It hasn't helped Kishore that he has gone from competing for a spot with Ravindra Jadeja at CSK to competing with Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad at GT. Opportunities have been incredibly scarce for a man who would walk into most other lineups - especially with a couple of teams crying out loud for a quality spinner.

The best one can do of course is wait patiently without losing motivation. And then grab the opportunity that comes his/her way.

Sunday's IPL 2024 outing against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) - where he was a net bowler once upon a time - was the perfect reiteration of the ever-perseverant Kishore staying in the moment and grabbing a rare opportunity with both hands. It was a typically masterful spell that surprised none who is used to seeing him do it year in and year out for his state team.

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Instinctive Sai Kishore casts a web on the Punjab Kings

GT went in with a three-man spin attack - before adding a fourth in Shahrukh Khan later in the innings against PBKS. On a track that clearly had some assistance for the tweakers, Shubman Gill read the pitch perfectly as the team selection would go on to show.

It wasn't before the 12th over though that Sai Kishore would be tossed the ball. The Kings were reeling at 80/4 with Rashid and Noor triggering a middle-overs collapse but there was more to come.

It began just how it ended for Kishore in the last game he played against CSK where Shivam Dube took him down with consecutive sixes. This time, it was Jitesh Sharma who dispatched a slot delivery over long-off as he stepped out of his crease.

Kishore wasn't unfazed though. He instantly pulled his length back and then fired one in to dot Jitesh up. Anybody who has seen Jitesh bat would know that two consecutive dots are too many. Something was bound to give in and he stepped out of his bunker again off the fourth delivery. Except this time, the length wasn't full enough and the pace was a lot slower.

At the stumps. Jitesh misses. Kishore lights up the poles and follows it up with a celebration that was partly a semi-jig with his tongue out and largely one that told him he read the moment to perfection.

He is gifted with a high release point while cramping right-handed batters for room by angling it into the stumps is something he specializes in. His pace variations are subtle and because that arm speed doesn't change much, he can be very deceptive.

Top that with smarts and knowing how to rewire and adapt to conditions and here's a fine bowler in all its glory. His instincts in reading the surface and immediately adjusting his pace helped to win the battle over Jitesh. He opened up on the same in the mid-innings interview.

"I felt so that I should slow it down. Just my instinct told me to slow it down. I just backed it up. In this wicket I felt that was a better pace to bowl at. Just followed my instincts and delivered it...After the first two balls I felt into the wicket is the way to go on this pitch and (I) just tried to mix my pace more on the slower side in this wicket," Kishore said in a chat with Ravi Shastri in between innings.

While the delivery to get Jitesh read 85.2 kph, he fired one at 98.9 kph and forced Ashutosh Sharma to target the large off-side boundary. A one-handed slice landed in the hands of the deep cover fielder. A drop in pace to Shashank Singh at 82 kph saw the ball hold in the surface before Kishore gobbled up a return catch.

A fresh challenge came his way with Harpreet Brar taking him down for a four and six in the penultimate over of the innings. Neither delivery was in the arc and the pace was quicker considering that at that stage, it was all about cutting off the big shots. Two deliveries that you just couldn't fault the bowler for.

The crafty spinner would have the last laugh again though. This time, he went for the yorker at 95.1 kph. He didn't quite nail it, but it was good enough to induce a false shot as Brar miscued it to long on off the toe-end of the bat.

Figures of 4/33 for Kishore ensured that the Kings were restricted to 142 - a total that the Titans would eventually chase down despite huffing and puffing their way to the finish line.

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Sai Kishore continues to make the most of limited opportunities

A wide grin came up on Kishore's face when he heard WV Raman's voice in the aforementioned interview. They have worked together for Tamil Nadu after all in the years gone by.

When Raman asked him about having to wait his turn on the sidelines this season and how tough it can be to stay motivated, Kishore said:

"Definitely it plays a part but I feel that the team comes first always. Just try to make yourself ready for the opportunity. Just work hard, be honest and be true to yourself and that has not gone out of trend I feel."

It certainly hasn't gone out of trend. Kishore stuck to his words with a match-winning spell for the Titans, who now have a task on hand to try and keep him out of the playing XI. Of course, with Azmatullah Omarzai fit again and offering them a third fast-bowling option, they have enough resources on that front to stick with Kishore. There aren't too many spin combinations that can be as relentless and lethal as the troika of Kishore, Rashid, and Noor in any case.

The hard work and honesty that Kishore speaks of is what has kept him going. An overall T20 economy rate of 5.61 after 60 T20s, coupled with a wicket every 18.9 deliveries, is elite stuff. Few would argue that the 27-year-old is potentially playing in the wrong era with left-arm spinners galore in India but he is right up there in the top echelon of finger-spinners in the country today.

Oh, he's no mug with the bat either, for Tamil Nadu often use him as a pinch-blocker/hitter against the swinging ball. He can take down spin if required too as he showed during last year's Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) and while replicating the same at the IPL level is a different kettle of fish, one can infer only if an opportunity comes his way. Considering GT's batting wobbles, it may not be the worst idea to shore him up as a pinch-hitter either on a particular day.

Understanding the kind of competition for spots and thereby pushing his limits has seen him work on his batting. His bowling has always been top-class. Of the quality, an international cricketer can be proud of. Yet, three matches for India in the Asian Games last year is all he's had to show.

There have been speed-breakers aplenty in this journey. But the smooth vehicle named R Sai Kishore continues to navigate through them unequivocally and make his presence felt. Opportunities may be scarce but very few make the most of them better than he does. And it's all a result of the hard work and honesty that he mentioned on Sunday.

Circumstances may keep him out of the playing XI for no fault of his or the ones picking the team. It's just what it is. But Sai Kishore isn't one to be deterred. For when it's his turn, he will make heads turn like he always does.