Ishan Kishan Names His Nightmares: “Bumrah Bhai Shows No Mercy”
MUMBAI — You’d think scoring a 42-ball century against New Zealand would make a batter feel invincible. Not Ishan Kishan. Fresh off a series-clinching 4-1 win and a career-best 103 in Thiruvananthapuram, the 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batter admits there’s one place he still feels the heat: the Mumbai Indians and Team India nets.
Speaking on the ‘2 Sloggers’ YouTube channel Monday, Kishan dropped the curtain on the internal rivalries that sharpen India’s steel, singling out veteran spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah as the bowlers who haunt him most. His revelation comes just five days before India kicks off their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign as co-hosts.
The “Bumrah Rule” in Practice
Nets are supposed to be safe. Batters work on rhythm; bowlers work on lines. But according to Kishan, Jasprit Bumrah plays by a different set of rules. While other bowlers might float a half-volley to a teammate on a grassy practice pitch, Bumrah treats every delivery like a World Cup final super over.
Kishan explained that connecting with a good shot against the speedster isn’t a victory—it’s a provocation.
“When bowlers see a grassy wicket in the nets, they sometimes show mercy… thinking the batsman is one of their own. But Bumrah bhai is not like that. If even one ball comes off the middle of the bat by mistake, you know for sure the next one is going to be a bouncer.” — Ishan Kishan, via ‘2 Sloggers’
“When it comes to spinners, even Yuzi bhai [Chahal] feels very difficult for me to face. It’s possible that he has analysed me a lot.” — Ishan Kishan
From Exile to X-Factor
Kishan’s candidness comes from a place of security he didn’t have two years ago. After a long hiatus from the national setup, his return in the recent five-match T20I series against New Zealand was nothing short of explosive. He hammered 215 runs in four innings at a staggering strike rate of 231.18.
The numbers tell the story of a batter who stopped caring about the noise:
- Runs Scored: 215 (Series High)
- Average: 53.75
- Strike Rate: 231.18
- Best: 103 (43 balls) in the 5th T20I
“Expectations? What expectations, man?” Kishan said, reflecting on his time away. “I think after a point you stop expecting and just keep doing your work your way… Making runs is your job. Taking catches is your job. Just keep doing it and the rest will fall into place.”
World Cup Implications
India enters the 2026 T20 World Cup as co-hosts and favorites, largely due to this newfound depth. Kishan’s form solves a massive headache for the management: they now have a top-order destroyer who can keep wickets. With the tournament opener scheduled for February 7, the “Bumrah Rule” in the nets seems to be working. If Kishan can handle Bumrah’s angry bouncers in practice, the rest of the world’s attacks might just look like warm-ups.
