Uttam Mazumdar is an energetic and enthusiastic coach. As much as his famous pupil, Ishan Kishan. They can pass off as colleagues. “He is my son,” says Mazumdar proudly as Ishan prepares to play in his first World Cup. “This is what I had imagined when he first came to me” says Mazumdar at his home in Greater Noida.
Ishan was seven. Mazumdar was coaching at the Moinul Ul Haq Stadium in Patna when Pranav Pandey came to him with a request. “My son is a nuisance with his non-stop pranks at home. He wants to play all the time. Please admit him to your academy,” Pandey pleaded.
“Too small,” thought Mazumdar, but he sent the lad with a bat into the nets and took the ball. This was his way to test every new entrant. Ishan played an exquisite cover drive off the first ball. And then another, and one more. “I was flabbergasted. The timing and follow-through were incredible. I told his father to allow me to be his coach. If Ishan did not play for India, the loss would be the nation’s,” recalls Mazumdar.
There began a wonderful association between the two, which culminated in Ishan donning the India cap 14 years later. “Immediately after the selection, Ishan made a video call and seeked my blessings. When we met next, Ishan touched my feet,” Mazumdar reminisces.
Life was tough for Ishan initially. “The lack of opportunities in Patna forced Ishan to move to Jharkhand. He shifted to Ranchi when he was just 12. I organised his move. Ishan stayed with some seniors in a small room. Since he couldn’t cook, he was assigned the duty of doing the dishes. He did that because he just wanted to play cricket. And I was happy to see him grow, and within five years, he was representing the state in junior matches. He was on the right track. His Ranji Trophy debut came when he was 16 in 2014, and I was delighted that his focus was in the right place. In that match, he was advised to be watchful against Abu Nechim, who was quick. Ishan drove him the first ball and later smashed two sixes that landed on the roof of the stadium (in Guwahati).”
Proud mentor: Uttam Mazumdar has overseen Ishan Kishan’s ascent to the Indian team. “He is my son,” says Mazumdar proudly as Ishan prepares to play in his first World Cup. | Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
Indian fans were fascinated by Ishan’s sensational hitting against Bangladesh in Chattogram in December 2022. Opening the innings, he smashed 10 sixes and 24 fours in his 210. “Ten sixes, and all blasted with amazing power. He may have a small frame, but he generates power from his stomach. Right from his junior days, he would pick up the ball and bludgeon it long and high. The secret lies in the timing and also in his skills to reach the pitch of the ball.” During a T20 under-14 match in Purnea, Ishan made a lasting impression by smashing four sixes.
Mazumdar arranged sessions dedicated to hard-hitting shots daily. “He would sometimes try 500 balls, and 100 of them would land far into the stands. People would turn up to watch him in the nets,” remembers Mazumdar, who shifted to Greater Noida from Jamshedpur to reestablish his coaching dreams. “COVID left me in depression as I lost my investments in cricket academies.” Mazumdar, who lives with his wife (Soma) and son (Uttkrisht), now has an impressive workplace courtesy of SDRV School.
Ishan has become a cherished member of Mazumdar’s family. He would often stay with them because he enjoys their company. Mazumdar’s father had a special fondness for Ishan and had predicted a bright future for him when they were in Patna. “Such was the affection that Ishan dedicated his first Man of the Match award (on his T20 debut against England in Ahmedabad in 2021) to my father,” he says.
Ishan, a foodie, loves kebabs cooked by Mazumdar’s wife. He also likes mutton, gulab jamun, and ras malai [milk-based dessert], but the Team India nutritionist has advised him against consuming such high calorie treats. “But he is allowed to make an exception once in a while when he visits us,” Mazumdar indulgently says.
Mazumdar has had the privilege of playing alongside MS Dhoni, Deep Dasgupta, and Wasim Jaffer in the Sheesh Mahal tournament in Lucknow. He admires their fearless style of batting, which he has tried to instill in Ishan. “He is a natural. He never changed his grip: just like Sachin Tendulkar, who never changed his grip or his behaviour. Ishan’s bat speed and shot selection are his two striking qualities.”
Jharkhand’s Ishan Kishan exults after scoring a century against Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy league match in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh on October 15, 2016. | Photo Credit: SANDEEP SAXENA
Ishan even reached out to Mazumdar during the home T20 series against South Africa in 2022. “His hotel room in ITC Maurya became our training ground. For 4-5 days we worked on his head position and body balance to deal with the bounce generated by the Proteas,” Mazumdar says. Ishan ended the series as the highest run-getter with 206 runs from five T20Is.
According to Mazumdar, Ishan and Rishabh Pant are “great” friends. “They support each other and have celebrated each other’s feats right from their junior days. It is rare to find such camaraderie between individuals who compete for the same slot in a team. There have been times when Ishan has used Rishabh’s bat in a match. Ishan was very hurt when he heard of Rishab’s accident.”
Ishan goes by “Chotu” among his Ranji teammates and “Ishu” to Mazumdar. The coach is enthusiastic about Ishan’s potential success in the World Cup. His advice to Ishan is clear: stick to your instincts when choosing which balls to hit. “While there might be occasional failures, Ishan’s strength lies in his ability to bounce back. His versatility allows him to bat at any position, giving the team a valuable edge,” he says.
Comments
SHARE