Best is yet to come: Ishan Kishan channels Kobe Bryant's Mamba mentality after RR win
“No, I think my best is yet to come,” Ishan Kishan said at the post-match presentation ceremony after Sunrisers Hyderabad’s win over Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Saturday, April 25.
It was a short answer, but one that revealed far more than a routine post-match sign-off.
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The line immediately brought to mind Kobe Bryant and the philosophy that came to define him. Bryant’s famed “Mamba Mentality” was never just about confidence or bravado. It was about obsession with improvement. It was about refusing to view success as a finish line. No matter how many points he scored, how many games he won or how many titles he collected, Bryant’s mindset was built on one core belief. There was always more to do.
That is what made Kishan’s remark stand out.
For Kobe, greatness was not measured by what had already been achieved, but by the constant pursuit of what could still be unlocked. Satisfaction was dangerous. Comfort was the enemy. Progress mattered more than praise. Kishan’s closing line in Jaipur carried that same idea. After another commanding innings in a winning chase, he was not interested in framing it as a finished performance. He framed it as part of a process.
That is what made the comment so telling. Kishan was not speaking like a batter pleased with a good night. He was speaking like someone who believes there is still another level waiting.
In Jaipur, Kishan once again showed how much his game has evolved. The attacking instinct remains intact, but what now stands out is the control around it. He played the conditions, managed the tempo of the chase and ensured Sunrisers stayed firmly in command without forcing the issue.
CALMNESS ROOTED IN CLARITY
Kishan said his calmness at the crease came down to clarity rather than caution.
“Yeah, I think calmness is about, the skill set is always there. You have to be in good headspace. It’s about just watching the ball and not being predetermined about what shots we have to play. So I was just thinking like, let’s just watch the ball. It’s a big ground. I’ll get some more gaps, big gaps. I think bigger ground means you’ll always get big gaps. So, when the ball is not there, maybe you can push it in the gap and you keep the run-rate going. So that was the job and I think it was a pretty good wicket. Not much thinking to do, just bat, just bat and just enjoy,” Kishan said at the post-match presentation.
The innings reflected exactly that approach. Kishan was not trying to force the chase open. He trusted the surface, trusted the dimensions and trusted his ability to keep the scoreboard moving without taking unnecessary risks.
Kishan also explained that his recent consistency has been shaped by how he responded to setbacks earlier in his career.
“When I wasn’t playing and had even been dropped from the team, my only conviction was this: I couldn’t simply sit there and wallow in self-pity over the situation. That is, in fact, the easiest thing for any sportsman to do, to complain, ‘I was dropped from the team even though I deserved to be there.’ That is the path of least resistance, and it’s something I’ve never considered to be the right approach,” Kishan said in a post-match interview on JioHotstar.
“I realised that the only thing that could pave the way for my comeback was scoring runs,” he added.
FOCUS BEYOND CAPTAINCY
Kishan said stepping away from captaincy after Pat Cummins’ return allowed him to narrow his focus even further.
“It was quite fun, leading the side for seven games and, Pat coming in, giving us that extra bowling power. So I was very happy when he was coming in the team anyway, because he’s a tremendous captain anyway. So I was just thinking about my batting and wicketkeeping more than leadership,” Kishan said.
That response, too, fit the same mould. Strip away the noise, remove the ego, focus on the work. It was the same principle Bryant built his career on and the same one Kishan now seems to be leaning into.
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