Ishan Kishan’s origin story: Cricket, Kebabs and Ranchi

Uttam Mazumdar is an lively and enthusiastic coach. As a lot as his well-known pupil, Ishan Kishan. They can move 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 dwelling in Greater Noida.

Ishan was seven. Mazumdar was teaching on the Moinul Ul Haq Stadium in Patna when Pranav Pandey got here 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, however he despatched the lad with a bat into the nets and took the ball. This was his option to check each new entrant. Ishan performed an beautiful cowl drive off the primary ball. And then one other, and yet another. “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,” recollects Mazumdar. 

There started a beautiful affiliation between the 2, 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 powerful 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 group. “He is my son,” says Mazumdar proudly as Ishan prepares to play in his first World Cup.
| Photo Credit:
SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

Indian followers had been fascinated by Ishan’s sensational hitting towards 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 an enduring impression by smashing 4 sixes.

Mazumdar organized classes devoted to hard-hitting photographs day by day. “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 teaching goals. “COVID left me in depression as I lost my investments in cricket academies.” Mazumdar, who lives along with his spouse (Soma) and son (Uttkrisht), now has a powerful office courtesy of SDRV School. 

Ishan has turn out to be a cherished member of Mazumdar’s household. He would typically stick with them as a result of he enjoys their firm. Mazumdar’s father had a particular fondness for Ishan and had predicted a brilliant future for him after they had been 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 spouse. He additionally likes mutton, gulab jamun, and ras malai [milk-based dessert], however the Team India nutritionist has suggested him towards consuming such excessive 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 taking part in alongside MS Dhoni, Deep Dasgupta, and Wasim Jaffer within the Sheesh Mahal match in Lucknow. He admires their fearless model 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 towards Karnataka within the Ranji Trophy league match in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh on October 15, 2016.
| Photo Credit:
SANDEEP SAXENA

Ishan even reached out to Mazumdar throughout the dwelling T20 sequence towards 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 sequence as the very best run-getter with 206 runs from 5 T20Is.

According to Mazumdar, Ishan and Rishabh Pant are “great” associates. “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” amongst his Ranji teammates and “Ishu” to Mazumdar. The coach is obsessed with Ishan’s potential success within the World Cup. His recommendation to Ishan is obvious: keep on with your instincts when selecting 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.