Sai Kishore, and going where his 'inner voice' takes him

R Sai Kishore listened to his inner voice and dropped out of engineering to become a professional cricketer. That inner voice helped him win IPL titles with Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans and even make his international debut last year. And, having taken over Tamil Nadu's full-time captaincy in this Ranji Trophy season, Sai Kishore continues to listen to that inner voice.

Under him, Tamil Nadu have secured three successive outright wins to top the Group C points table, which also includes Karnataka and Gujarat. This is only the first time since 2015 that Tamil Nadu have notched up three wins in a row and they are now looking to extend that streak when they meet Karnataka in the sixth-round fixture at Chepauk.

"I was nowhere on the scene but it is that inner voice that has taken me here," Sai Kishore tells ESPNcricinfo. "I feel more often than not my inner voice is right and I trust it. But, for example, in that Tripura match, we won the toss and batted first in swinging conditions. It was not a great decision, I admit it. I agree it wasn't the correct decision, but my instinct wanted to bat first and I took it. From that you learn, but at least I listened to that inner voice.

"Things are just happening for Tamil Nadu. As a captain, I've just tried to take the result out of the equation. Whoever is playing - I want to make sure he is secure and he just has to contribute. In my mind, I'm valuing a 30 or a two-wicket haul like a hundred or a five-wicket haul. And because of that, I feel we're able to enjoy the game more. I still remember ahead of the Railways game, TN had just one point. That was also fine with me and three outright wins is also fine with me. The prep and process remains the same for us."

Sai Kishore draws inspiration from his first IPL captain MS Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming, who prioritised processes over results and insulated the dressing room from pressure even when they lurched from one loss to another in 2020.

"I have learnt from the best of leaders. I've been in an environment like CSK with Fleming and Dhoni," Sai Kishore says. "Fleming used to take sessions on captaincy and leadership at CSK - he runs the team superbly. Coming from domestic cricket, you won't see a coaching style like that. In 2020, CSK kept losing, there was a lot of outside noise, but Dhoni always handled it calmly and never let the pressure get to us.

"When you see such a calming influence, you try to resonate with it. It's a moment to realise but takes a lifetime to master. The core part of it is the way you play the game and if you focus only on the result, there will be more pressure and you can't control it."

Sai Kishore has led by example for Tamil Nadu, taking 27 wickets in five games at an average of 18.85. Only four other bowlers have more wickets than Sai Kishore in this Ranji season so far. Prior to that, he was the joint-highest wicket-taker in the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy, with 19 strikes in eight games. He was also the only spinner - and one of only two bowlers - to dismiss gun finisher Rahul Tewatia in seven innings.

"Tewu is one of the smartest players going around," Sai Kishore says. "I think [in] the first year at GT, I had the upper hand on him and then in the second year, he outsmarted me [at nets]. He can be dominant against both pace and spin. In that match, my inner voice told me I should bowl slower through the air but the ball shouldn't turn. The ball didn't turn but had revolutions on it and dipped. I managed to execute it and it went straight on and I got the caught and bowled.

"Then we had two practice games against Baroda before the Ranji, and that was enough to get into the red-ball groove from white-ball cricket. In terms of load management, I don't bowl much at practice because I do a lot of bowling in the match. I'm trying to keep myself fresh mentally and physically during practice. Overall, I think I would have bowled just 60 balls during practice across games. So, I'm trying to be smart with my workload and then try to soak up all the pressure in the match."

Sai Kishore has also been a regular pinch-blocker or pinch-hitter for Tamil Nadu in the recent past across formats and is keen to win games with the bat too. "Batting-wise, I've come a long way," he says. "Out of nowhere, I want to win a game for TN with the bat in this Ranji Trophy. In the Duleep Trophy, I managed to finish a game for South Zone against North Zone under pressure. I have the belief that I can contribute with the bat under pressure. I have that desire to win such games with the bat."

Three months after sealing a thrilling win for South Zone with the bat, Sai Kishore made his international debut at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, where he was so overcome with emotion as the national anthem played that he teared up, with the clip going viral across social media.

"After I was given the cap, I told Rutu [Ruturaj Gaikwad] that it feels normal. But when they started playing the national anthem, I couldn't control myself and couldn't handle the emotions," Sai Kishore says. "What all happened until that point - like I didn't play a match in the IPL last year - those emotions were difficult to handle. Representing your country is a dream for every cricketer.

"It wasn't tears of pain; it was tears of joy and I couldn't control myself. 'It's a blessing to play this sport' - I wrote the same thing in my diary. I was nowhere in the scene to play for India, but somehow it happened, and I was skilfully ready for the debut. Washy [Washington Sundar] was right next to me, but he didn't realise it. Washy - and the other team-mates - saw those tears from my eyes from Instagram after it became viral."

Sai Kishore hasn't been picked in the India - or India A - sides since winning the gold medal at the Asian Games, but he's ready for the grind and hopes that his time will come.

"You don't have a choice. Okay, the other choice is being fed up and backing away from the challenge," he says. "I actually like this challenge. You have to show up and do your job and then things have to happen. I'm sure it will happen soon. When the need comes, you should be ready.

"When there's a need for a tall spinner with a high-arm action, people might come to me. Sadly, out of a billion only 15 can be in the side, right? Till then, my mindset is to keep levelling up and be ready. I don't want to be just a 20-run player with the bat; I want to make an impact with both bat and ball and be ready when the call comes. If I play, I will play for six-seven years."

Sai Kishore's immediate focus is to help Tamil Nadu find a way past their bogey team - they have beaten Karnataka just once in nine attempts in the Ranji Trophy since 2005. Karnataka will be bolstered further by the return of captain Mayank Agarwal and Devdutt Padikkal. The winner of this game could well finish top of the Group C table.

"It's a joy to compete against a team like Karnataka when stakes are high," Sai Kishore says. "It gives me a kick to compete against such a team. We hope to play to our potential and then the result will take care of itself."