Sai Kishore, who took a hat-trick against Uttarakhand, said he focused on performing consistently. | Photo Credit: B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM
Sai Kishore revealed that a tip from M.S. Dhoni over five years ago helped him become a better bowler, even though he didn’t understand it then.
The 29-year-old scalped six for 34, including a hat-trick against Uttarakhand in the second innings, to bowl Tamil Nadu to an innings victory over Uttarakhand in their Ranji Trophy fixture here on Tuesday.
One impressive aspect was how he used the crease and varied his angles, including going wider.
“That was something I picked up during my stint with CSK. Dhoni emphasised it heavily, but back then, I didn’t quite grasp how much he meant. Over the last two years — starting from IPL 2025 — I’ve really begun embracing it. When you bowl from varied crease angles, the ball behaves differently off the deck. I leaned into that, and it’s paying rich dividends,” said Sai Kishore.
From being at the cusp of breaking into the national team, Sai Kishore has fallen off the radar after being ignored for both the Duleep Trophy and the Irani Cup.
When asked whether this performance would help him get back into the limelight, he replied: “Maybe (it might). I didn’t bowl to take a hat-trick. I was just doing my job. When I am very honest to myself and when I am working hard, I think God is giving me all these things.”
“Indian cricket is packed with talent, and to be fair, by my own benchmark, last year wasn’t my best season — even though I still averaged around three to three-and-a-half wickets a game. I take it in my stride, keep my head down, and focus entirely on performing consistently,” said Sai Kishore.
Published - October 20, 2026 06:15 pm IST