CHENNAI: Through the highs and lows, R Sai Kishore has remained unfailingly humble.After finishing as the Ranji Trophy’s highest wicket-taker in the 2023-24 season and then emerging as one of Gujarat Titans’ standout performers in 2025, the left-arm spinner endured a difficult spell. Injuries, Tamil Nadu’s disappointing domestic campaign and a limited role in IPL 2026, with just three appearances before he was dropped for the final, tested both his patience and perspective.The lanky Chennai lad was obviously ‘disappointed’ to spend most of the IPL this year on the bench after being one of Titans’ regulars the previous season. But he isn’t one to sulk.“I think I prepared really well and it’s very disappointing that I’m not getting my chances. I did my part, played well. Time is always like that and the thing about time is it always comes back. I had seven to eight months of a purple patch… now seven-eight months of a bad patch is going on. So what’s next? It can only be good,” Sai Kishore said after receiving the best bowler in the Ranji Trophy award at the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association’s (TNCA) Annual Day function on Saturday.So, what keeps him going through the disappointments? “I cannot always see what hasn’t gone my way. I’m very grateful for what I have. I still have a lot of hunger and desire to get more things going my way. I really believe in my ability. If I’m destined to play again for the country, definitely it’ll happen. But in terms of hard work, I don’t want to slack.“I’m using this off-season space to polish my technique. Even though I’m fit, because I’ve not played a game, there’s a perception that I’m not fit enough. So, I want to prove my fitness, my performance, by playing all league games, wherever I can,” said Sai Kishore, who will be part of the targeted spinners’ camp to be held at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence from July 10 to 17.Turning his attention to TN’s forgettable domestic season, Sai Kishore welcomed the appointment of new head coach Yo Mahesh, a former teammate in first-class cricket, and said the senior side must draw inspiration from the state’s under-23 team, which completed a domestic double this season.“It’s very inspiring that the U-23 team has won the double. If the senior team does well, we’ll all rise together. A lot of players are in the IPL because of good performances in white-ball cricket over the last three or four years. Similarly, if we do well as a team, we can go places.”
