Ishan Kishan Embraces Challenge of Switching Between Formats

Ishan Kishan believes the constant challenge of moving between white-ball and red-ball cricket is one of the most rewarding aspects of the game, despite the difficulties that come with adapting to different formats.

Kishan led East Zone to a dominant innings-and-210-run victory over North East Zone in the Duleep Trophy, recording his 65th first-class appearance. His previous first-class game had come in November 2025 against Baroda in the Ranji Trophy. Since then, the 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batter has featured in 59 matches across international and domestic cricket, including the IPL, in just nine months.

Having established himself primarily as a white-ball player, Kishan acknowledged that returning to red-ball cricket requires a significant adjustment.

"Situations will get tricky," Kishan said in Bengaluru. "It will not be easy for us as players to just move around from white ball to red ball, red ball to white ball; change of format, change of gameplay. But that is the fun part about this game."

Kishan also spoke candidly about the mental demands placed on professional cricketers. He stressed that players cannot afford to dwell on circumstances beyond their control if they want to succeed.

"If you want to make it big, you want to make it count, you can't have many excuses," he said. "At the same time, I feel you should just think about getting better and not cry about things which you cannot control."

Kishan admits to a red-ball mistake

Kishan was unable to make a major contribution with the bat in East Zone's only innings, falling for four after attempting to guide a wide delivery behind point. He admitted that the shot was almost instinctive, despite knowing that he needed to leave deliveries outside off stump in a first-class match.

"I was in the middle of the shot, and I was like, 'What the heck was I trying to do?' I should know this is a Test match and I need to leave a few balls," Kishan said.

He attributed the mistake partly to a lack of recent red-ball practice and explained how thinking about avoiding a particular shot can sometimes lead to exactly the opposite outcome.

"Sometimes when you think about something that you don't want to do, you end up doing it," he said. "I was just attracting those thoughts, which was not meant to happen, but yeah, it happened anyway."

Despite the setback, Kishan insisted that his enthusiasm for red-ball cricket remains strong. He has played 32 ODIs and 55 T20Is for India, along with 134 IPL matches, while his last of two Test appearances came in July 2023.

"I really do enjoy red-ball cricket," Kishan said. "It's always fun to be part of it because I love that challenge. Yes, it's easier to bat on flat tracks and it's fun as well, but the competition which goes around in Test matches is some different-level thing."

East Zone dominate North East Zone

East Zone produced an emphatic performance in the Duleep Trophy encounter, scoring 467 before dismissing North East Zone for just 111 and enforcing the follow-on.

North East Zone resumed Tuesday on 7 for no loss, but East Zone's spinners continued to trouble the batters. Kishan noted that the surface was offering turn without much bounce, and East Zone eventually bowled their opponents out for 146 in only 50 overs.

Anukul Roy was the standout bowler, claiming a five-wicket haul.

Kishan was pleased that East Zone finished the game quickly rather than allowing the opposition to settle and consume valuable time.

"I'm happy we got those wickets," he said. "If some of the batters were batting, it would have been easy for them to just control the game and keep on batting for the next one-and-a-half days."

He also praised the bowlers for sticking to their plans and maintaining belief.

"If you bowl in the right areas, you will have your plans clear, you will keep it simple, you will get your reward," Kishan said.

Kishan wants greater intensity in semi-final

While East Zone's victory was comprehensive, Kishan admitted that the team's energy levels were not where he wanted them to be after a long break from red-ball cricket.

"We played after a very long time, this match, but I feel the energy was not up to the mark," he said. "But it can happen in these matches."

East Zone will face Central Zone in the semi-final beginning on August 30, and Kishan expects his side to raise its intensity.

"When we are going to play the next match, we'll have to be on our toes," he said. "We'll have to put effort, we will have to fight for each and every wicket."

For Kishan, the return to first-class cricket has been a reminder that cricket may look simple from the outside, but adapting to its demands is anything but straightforward.

"Cricket is always complicated, though it's simple," he said. "All of us know how we need to keep the sport simple, but it's very hard to maintain that."