Aiming for the off-side stars: Inside Ishan Kishan's India comeback

Most analysis of bowling to Ishan Kishan suggests targeting the channel outside off-stump ties him down. For an explosive batter, deliveries away from his hitting arc on the off-side have often caused problems. Yet, Kishan remains refreshingly self-aware about this perceived flaw.

Having not played a T20I since November 2023 until the recent New Zealand series, Kishan spent significant net time sharpening this aspect of his game. "He said I have to improve my off-side hitting ability… he spoke about hitting sixes on the off-side," says Virat Singh, Kishan's Jharkhand teammate.

New Zealand's research identified the same weakness. When Zakary Foulkes bowled wide outside off to Kishan in Raipur, the left-hander reached out and cleared the infield over cover. Jacob Duffy tried similar lines with the same result. The aerial access on the off-side had returned. In Thiruvananthapuram, he sent Lockie Ferguson's leg-cutters outside off over extra cover during a scintillating century.

These moments became crucial in Kishan's India comeback story, built on significant course-correction. "When he was back home… he was trying really hard to improve his off-side game. Since childhood, he has been very dominant through the leg-side. He was very specific that I have to improve my off-side game as well," Virat Singh explains.

This urge to improve isn't recent. Kishan has engaged in honest batting introspection for years. He also consulted Rajiv Kumar, his coach through age-group and Ranji cricket. During a dinner meeting in January 2025, Kishan expressed frustration about being unable to score freely on the off-side.

Rajiv examined Kishan's grip and noticed it had changed since their last coaching session in 2019. "Naturally, he had a very good grip, and his balance was very good. If you see his older videos, you can see how clean his ball striking was," Rajiv notes. "Somewhere in between he tried a few things, changed his grip and locked himself completely… Now he is doing exactly what he was doing earlier."

Kishan entered IPL 2025 with these adjustments, implementing them immediately for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He contributed significantly to Jofra Archer's figures of 0/76—the worst in IPL history—en route to a century. Rajiv believes SRH's environment particularly suited Kishan: "Ishan is a hyperactive kid, and he likes those hyperactive situations where he can thrive."

Before India reconsidered him for the backup keeper's role, Kishan approached the domestic season with championship focus. "He made it very clear to all the players… that we are going to look to win this tournament," says Virat Singh. Kishan emphasized that without winning championships, players wouldn't progress to IPL or India A setups.

Rajiv wasn't surprised by Kishan's team-first approach: "I've seen that in him since he was a kid… over the years he has grown more and more to help others."

Kishan carried SRH's aggressive batting philosophy into the Jharkhand dressing room: "He told us that no matter what happens—whether we are 10/0 or 10/3—we are going to go out there and just hit."

On December 18, 2025, Kishan capped a sensational Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy season with a 49-ball 101 in the final against Haryana. His season tally—517 runs at a strike rate of 197.33—embodied the intent India has embraced since 2022. Unsurprisingly, he returned to the India squad after over eighteen months.

Now, over a month into being India's first-choice opener at a home World Cup, Kishan is hitting sixes all around the ground. Analysts may still advise bowlers to target that off-stump channel—as USA's Shadley van Schalkwyk did successfully in Mumbai—but against this upgraded version of Kishan, such plans may stem more from hope than conviction.