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NEW DELHI: At 6-foot-5, R. Sai Kishore brings a unique trajectory and relentless accuracy to the crease. Coming off a stellar IPL-2025 campaign where he bagged 19 wickets in 15 matches for Gujarat Titans, the Tamil Nadu left-arm spinner finds himself waiting for an opportunity in the early stages of IPL-2026.Despite missing out on the playing XI so far this season, the 29-year-old remains remarkably grounded, putting the franchise’s objectives ahead of personal ambition. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“Cricket is not an individual sport, it’s a team sport,” Sai Kishore tells TOI in an exclusive interview facilitated by the Gujarat Titans on Tuesday. “So, at the end of the day, you celebrate when you win the trophy, celebrate when you win the IPL. So, the team always comes first in all decisions. And me myself being a leader, I should understand this more than anyone else. As much as you’re disappointed that you’re not in the playing XI at present, it should be kept in mind that the team comes first and whenever the conditions are suited to play more spinners, I’ll get my chance.”With 32 IPL wickets to his name, Sai Kishore knows the T20 game is heavily dictated by conditions. Early in the tournament, flat surfaces have always favoured the batters and continuing to do so even in IPL-2026, but the seasoned spinner anticipates a shift.
“IPL is a very dynamic tournament. How the tournament unfolds, how the wickets are playing, all those things are crucial factors in getting the combinations right,” he said. “The team always comes first, and whenever the wickets start to deteriorate, when the heat is more, slowly but surely the spinners will come into play. Not just for Gujarat Titans, but across the tournament. If you see, not a lot of spinners have been able to change games as of now. It’s mainly batting-friendly now.”For a spinner, maintaining control on flat tracks that are dished out in the IPL requires a delicate balance between containing runs and hunting for wickets. “Role clarity” from the franchise surely makes this tightrope walk much easier.“My role has been clearly mentioned and that is to provide control to the captain,” Sai Kishore said. “It becomes easy for any player to play to his full potential when the role is mentioned.”When it comes to executing that control, he relies heavily on reading the game dynamically rather than sticking to a rigid script. “A lot depends on player to player, situation to situation. In what situation, what you’re trying to do. Let’s say if some batter is very settled, you would want to take him off strike, be more defensive to him. Somebody is new to the crease, you try and get his wicket. It is all about your decision-making skills at that moment, on that day, on that kind of wicket. So, if you have that instinct, it’s easy to manage between when to attack and when to defend,” he said.In an era where T20 cricket is heavily driven by analytics and match-ups, Sai Kishore, who has previously captained Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket, believes that numbers only tell half the story.“No matter what kind of data you follow, your instincts always precede,” he said. “Because, at that moment, what you feel is what you’re gonna do. Data is important, knowing the game is important, but at the same time trusting your instincts, your inner voice is what this game is all about.”Sai Kishore has already tasted international success, making his T20I debut during India’s gold medal-winning run at the 2023 Asian Games, where he famously claimed 3/12 against Bangladesh in the semifinals. However, he hasn’t been able to break into the Indian team again in any format. Rather than obsessing over a national call-up, his philosophy revolves around self-improvement and “absolute” preparation.“To be relevant as a spinner, especially in India, you have to be able to hold yourself in all three facets of the game. You have to be a brilliant fielder, you have to be decent with the bat, which is not a very easy task. So, in that desire to play for the country, you naturally improve yourself to be a better cricketer.“I feel I just have to make my garden very beautiful. I have to keep working on my game and be ready with the skill sets. And whenever a chance comes… more often than not when you’re absolutely ready, the chance comes. I think it will just happen on its own accord,” he said.“Until then, I want to enjoy my game. I want to be very happy mentally, skillfully, emotionally, physically and everything.”
