Team Gujarat Titans in action© BCCI
Young India all-rounder Sai Kishore is currently eyeing a comeback after recovering from a neck injury. The Tamil Nadu-based all-rounder, who plays for Gujarat Titans, grabbed everyone's attention with his match-winning spell against Punjab Kings in IPL 2024. Kishore registered brilliant figures of 4/33 against PBKS and also bagged the Player of the Match award. However, when he was enjoying his success at the IPL, he went for a game of golf and picked up a neck injury, which resulted him in leaving the tournament midway.
After leaving the IPL, Kishore went to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and worked on his rehabilitation. Earlier in July, the all-rounder made a comeback in the Tamil Nadu Premier League for Tiruppur Tamizhans.
"We use the neck for everything. If you have to walk, or sleep, that was the challenge. I think a lot of people helped me. The GT physio, I was in so much pain I called Thulasi Anna (Thulasi Ram Yuvaraj, physio at the NCA), the people in NCA, trainer Harsha... In TNPL also people helped, my personal masseur.. hard to single out. More than anyone, my wife helped me so much. I was not able to move or sit. Every two hours, I used to keep alarms just to wake up and walk. I was in so much pain," The New Indian Express quoted Kishore as saying.
"I was very grateful to be back. Honestly, to get back to normal life only was an achievement, cricket was a bonus. When I came in, I knew I couldn't do it (bowl as much). I accepted that but I wanted to take the challenge. Mind was there, but the body was not fully there. So I had to make others do the job," he added.
The Gujarat Titans all-rounder further showed a lot of self-confidence and called himself "one of the best spinners" in India. He even expressed his desire to play alongside Ravindra Jadeja in Test cricket.
"I feel I am one of the best spinners in the country. Put me in a Test match, I am ready. So, I am not worried too much. Jadeja is there, I have never played alongside him," said Kishore.
"I have been with him in CSK, but never played together in red-ball format. So, it will be a good learning experience in terms of what he does. In saying that, I feel confident. So, I am ready more than ever," he added.
Sai Kishore has been called up in the Duleep Trophy and has featured in three T20Is at the Asian Games.