After delivering a monumental knock of 270 runs in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone at Chepauk, East Zone skipper Ishan Kishan credited his success to letting go of overthinking and external expectations, focusing purely on watching the ball and reacting.

The southpaw’s double century made him the first East Zone captain and wicketkeeper to reach the milestone in a Duleep Trophy final, recording the second-highest individual score in a Duleep Trophy final history.

“I didn’t actively try to change myself. It just happened naturally. When I was out of the (India) squad, I realised that we ultimately only have one job to do: simply to score runs. That is the only thing that helps you in your career,” Kishan said at the post-day press meet.

“Any other thoughts will only manipulate your mindset, push you into overthinking, and pile on unnecessary pressure. I realised that those extraneous thoughts aren’t necessary. Our job is to step in and win matches for the team.

“That’s all you should care about. You evolve with time, and I feel it is much easier to play this way when you keep your mind clear,” he added.

Following a turbulent phase where he lost his BCCI central contract in late 2023, Kishan attributed this return to form to a complete mental reset. He toiled hard in domestic cricket, scoring hundreds in the Ranji Trophy (2025-26) and helping Jharkhand win that season’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to reclaim his place in the national side.

“The best thing I’m doing nowadays is not thinking about anything. My job as a batsman is just to go there, watch the ball, react to it and not keep any expectations from myself.

“At times, you will, obviously, lose patience. But that is the time when you have to talk to yourself; you have to control that, calm your thoughts about whether you are taking the right decision or not, and after that, you execute your plans,” he said.

Kishan also shared insight on his plans the counter South Zone bowlers, particularly after coming into the tournament following a string of white-ball matches.

“I was here at the BCCI CoE before coming here. We were practising there, specifically with the red ball. When you play T20s regularly, you start playing a lot of shots — which is what happened in my first innings against the North East Zone (in Duleep Trophy).

“In the middle, I went to play a cut and then got double-minded about whether to hit it or not and got out.”

Partnering with Kumar Kushagra (101), Kishan's marathon 522-minute stay at the crease put East Zone completely in command of the match as they racked up a gigantic 708/10 in their first innings by stumps on Day 2.

Ishan Kishan said he deliberately adjusted his approach from impulsive T20 shot-making to patient, partnership-based long-format batting.

“When you’re playing a final and you are already a multi-format player, who has played for India for quite some time, the team members expect you to score runs. So, it’s very important for me to be in the middle and get as many runs for your team.

“The plan remained simple: keep adding 50-run partnerships as much as possible. A lot of things factor in picking up when their bowlers are tiring, when they are opening up the field — so you keep batting around these things without worrying about the result,” he explained.

Kishan said he used his time away from the national spotlight as a crucial period for self-reflection and growth. By stepping back into the domestic grind, he was able to reset his mindset, break out of a stagnant routine, and find the motivation to out-perform a highly competitive field of players.

“I genuinely enjoyed it because I went back, had to grind and work hard for about two years (when he was out of the team). But sometimes, what happens is, when we play regularly for the Indian team, you just keep playing in a flow.

“You might be a very good player, which is why you’re playing for India, but your growth stagnates at a certain point. So when you take one step back and go back to domestic cricket, you start from zero again.

“You start thinking, ‘I need to get even better,’ because today, there are so many players scoring runs. So, to get back into the team, your only option is to perform much better than them.

“Nothing against anyone, but I’m saying you’ll only benefit if you do better. So, you have to start again. You get time to reflect on what you missed earlier, why you couldn’t convert your starts into big scores. The batting doesn’t change that much; it’s just the mindset that changes over time,” he remarked.

(With PTI Inputs)