IPL snub ‘a very small failure’ for Sai Kishore

Tamil Nadu’s left-arm tweaker showcased his limited-overs abilities with a match-winning five-wicket haul against Rajasthan in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Sai Kishore’s five-wicket haul helped Tamil Nadu finish its campaign with a win.

Tamil Nadu’s left-arm tweaker R. Sai Kishore, who spun a web around the Rajasthan batsmen with a five-wicket haul on Wednesday, was pleased with his effort in the middle.

Sai Kishore said lack of taking wickets at crucial junctures cost his team - the defending champion - a berth in the knockouts. “It is really good to finish with a win. I think the main reason where we lost is, we didn’t take enough wickets. We failed to stop runs and take wickets,” he said after Tamil Nadu beat Rajasthan in its final Vijay Hazare league match at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium.

‘Little’ disappointment

Sai Kishore, who wasn’t bought by any team in the Indian Premier League auction, said the disappointment lingered for just a day. “I didn’t follow the auction completely. First time when my name came up, I went unsold. I had a practice that evening and later my mother told me that I went unsold. I was a little disappointed for a day. I knew what I’m capable of. I see this as a very small failure and I don’t see it as a big thing. I’m confident of what I’m and what I can do. For me it’s about giving my hundred percent every day and learning new things.

“I thought some team would go for me. I didn’t think it had to be Chennai Super Kings or Sunrisers [who would have gone for me]. I had done really well in a T20 tournament which was televised (Tamil Nadu Premier League). I was optimistic, however; I wasn’t extremely disappointed that no one bought me,” he said.

‘As attacking as possible’

On the various changes that he is adopting to suit the demands of the game, Sai Kishore said: “While playing the T20s (Syed Mushtaq Ali) I was a little defensive. I had a pretty good economy rate but I wasn’t picking wickets. Today, I went all out and that is what I do usually, go after the batsmen and not being worried about getting hit. It worked well. Even before the tournament started coach (Hrishikesh Kanitkar) told me that as a bowler I’m at my best when I attack the batsmen rather than containing them. He told me to trust my abilities and try to be as attacking as possible. That’s what I did today and fortunately it worked,” he summed up.