'I believe the spirituality he has imbibed has played a big role in this turnaround. It has played a big role.'
Ishan Kishan's mind now does not rage. Delight of leading Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title and the uncertainty surrounding him a day ahead of India's T20 World Cup squad selection are met with the same stoicity.
The emotions are now walled behind the soothing verses of Bhagavad Gita, Kishan's new companion as indicated to PTI by his father Pranav Pandey.
On his part, Kishan now lives in the present, and all that matters is Jharkhand's SMAT victory.
"Bahut achha khele, bahut maja aya; jaldi aur baat hogi aur aise hi jeet te rahenge (We really played well and hope we keep playing like this)," Kishan said after arriving to a rousing welcome at the Ranchi airport on Friday.
The Kishan-led Jharkhand defeated Haryana by 69 runs in the final at Pune, and the left-hander finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer, amassing 517 runs in 10 innings at an average of 57.44 and a strike rate in excess of 197.
Kishan smashed 101 off 49 balls in the final -- his fifth century in the competition -- equalling India T20I opener Abhishek Sharma's record for the most hundreds in the tournament.
The reaction was more crisp than flamboyant. "Achi thi, bahut khushi hui aur wapas tournament chalu hue toh usme bhi jeet ke ayenge (I really felt good hope we win more)."
Kishan and the Jharkhand team were understandably received with enthusiasm at home.
Accompanied by former India batter and Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) secretary Saurabh Tiwary, they were received with dhols and mandars greeting the players at the airport.
The squad was garlanded, felicitated at the stadium and later visited Chief Minister Hemant Soren's residence.
Kishan's father Pranav Pandey, a businessman, said following Gita's holy scriptures was an idea mooted by him for Kishan to find some solutions to his troubles.
"My mother told me to read the Gita. So, I suggested that he read the Gita. She had told me if you are in a lot of tension, then you keep your question in your mind and open the Gita.
"Read the page that comes in front of you. You will get the answer to your question in that page, helping in dealing with the situation. I asked him (Kishan) to do the same," said Pandey.
Pandey said now it has become a habit with Kishan.
"The Gita is always with him, and he keeps it in his box. If he feels the need, he reads it. He carries a pocket Gita wherever he goes. Whenever something happens, he opens it and reads it."
According to Pandey, the impact of this spiritual grounding is evident in Kishan's batting as well.
"We have seen it. For any person, the Bhagavad Gita gives you strength to support you anytime," he said.
"His maturity level has increased. His batting has matured. He likes to take more responsibility. He is mentally more mature. He plays less rash shots now."
Pandey recalled an incident that underlined the new mindset of Kishan.
"He was here after getting injured during the county stint with Nottinghamshire. There was a 20-odd days break, and he met with a freak accident when he fell off a motorcycle," he said.
"His friend had come with his new motorcycle and he was taking a test drive and didn't have much knowledge of the scooty and fell off and injured his legs. He had to get stitches.
"We didn't expect it to be serious, but after seeing the stitches we got to know the seriousness of the accident."
Instead, N Jagadeesan joined the national squad in England.
"He (Kishan) was very depressed that time. Now he's perfectly fine. When you are in depression, his nature was never to show emotions.
But as parents, we could understand his emotions," he added.
Pandey believes that spirituality played a big role in Kishan's resurgence.
"I believe the spirituality he has imbibed has played a big role in this turnaround. It has played a big role."
But now gradually goodness has begun to seep back into Kishan's career, and the first sign is a Rs 2 crore reward for the SMAT winning team by the JSCA.
JSCA president Ajay Nath Shah Deo said the team's historic triumph had drawn national attention and was confident that Kishan would soon return to the Indian team.
"We are champions, and the whole country has taken notice of them. I am sure Kishan is going to be in the (Indian) team," Shah Deo said.
"Obviously, this is a matter of pride for the whole of Jharkhand and our Chief Minister, Hemant Soren ji. He is a cricket fan. He is very happy with the performance of our team."
He also lauded the collective effort behind the title, singling out key performers from the final.
"If you see the Jharkhand team, five or six players -- Anukul, Kushagra, Sushant Mishra, the kind of bowling he did -- they have been performing like this for the last seven to eight years," Shah Deo said.
"It is very motivating for younger players. I think from here, Jharkhand is only going upwards and will be number one in all formats," he said.
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