New Delhi: R Sai Kishore enjoys following the current. His Twitter bio states, "I break the timber with the red-ball," a phrase usually used by fast bowlers rather than a left-arm spinner. It is uncommon to encounter someone as intense and competitive on the field as the lanky left-arm spinner.

He was promoted to captaincy in the Ranji Trophy last season after contributing significantly to Tamil Nadu's white-ball dominance and is currently a member of the South Zone Duleep Trophy and Deodhar Trophy squads.

Additionally, the 26-year-old is on everyone's radar. It is the kind of phase that frequently causes India aspirants to put themselves under additional pressure. not Sai Kishore however. “I’m not the sort of a guy who is playing the sport expecting something. Personally when I do that, you are not enjoying yourself. This is a sport I picked up as a kid because I loved it and it will remain that way. Whichever team I get to play, I should do my duty and give my 100 per cent. Spinners have loads to learn in this sport skill-wise and that is what I should be doing, rather than concentrating on which team I’m playing. Wherever it is, you have to be yourself,” Sai Kishore told.

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He idolizes R Ashwin, but during his debut season in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, they got into a fight. Off the field, he has a different personality. He is an avid reader who always has a few books with him and enjoys to lose himself in literature about life, philosophy, and history. He was reading one authored by Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius on a typical monsoon day in Bengaluru on Wednesday where South Zone is playing West Zone in the final at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

He enjoys playing the drums and his guitar when he is not reading, “Not because I’m good at it, but I love doing it. It might definitely be unbearable for someone, but I can’t be thinking about it as it gives me the sort of joy I like.” He will quietly go for a trek and meditate for hours in the company of monks.

Sai Kishore, who holds a MBA degree, is a diligent student and cricket enthusiast like Ashwin. He enjoys watching cricket regardless of who is playing, and at one point even shared the same jersey number as the off-spinner.  “I’m a firm believer that when you have your eyes and ears open, you can learn a lot. When I’m playing at this level for six years, it means I definitely have the basics. From here it is about that extra one percent that makes all the difference. So you have to evolve and the only way to do is by learning" says kishore.

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He is a dedicated player who understands what it takes to play for the Indian squad. He served as a backup player for the Shikhar Dhawan-led white-ball squad to Sri Lanka in 2021 as well as the home series against the West Indies. He is a unique spinner who enjoys bowling both in the powerplay and at the end of the innings, and he has also been a crucial member of Tamil Nadu's red-ball team. A useful batter who even bats third in the Ranji Trophy, he is a model representative of the modern player. “I honestly don’t think about anything because I have seen what it does to players. It sort of weighs over them at some point and it starts affecting the performance. And there is more to life than just cricket and you can’t be bogged down with selection calls because at the end of the day, I can still get to play cricket at some level,” he says.

Sai Kishore has only appeared in 5 IPL games despite being a proven match-winner in T20s, and he has spent the entire campaign warming the bench for Gujarat Titans. Sai Kishore, despite displaying his talent during Gujarat's title-winning campaign in 2022, was denied a game because Kane Williamson's injury prevented him from playing a significant role in their campaign. Instead, Noor Ahmad received a look-in. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t down. But I also know where it came from because it was completely down to the circumstances and getting the balance is very tough. So I totally understood where it came from and it was not the moment to sulk. Like I said, there is more to life and at the end of the day, it is just a sport and you have to take it as one. I was getting paid and I’d some of the best names around me to learn. Why would anyone think about what they missed and end up missing what is in front of you,” Sai Kishore adds.

South Zone faced West Zone first and finished Day 1 of the Duleep Trophy final at 182/7. The batsmen for South were guilty of throwing away their wickets on a fine pitch, particularly to the seamers who mainly bowled in the 115–12–8 kph area. Hanuma Vihari led the team in scoring with 63 before Shams Mulani took his wicket.

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