If there were one word to describe the Mumbai Indians’ victory, it would be the simple word — complete. It was complete dominance, complete team effort, a complete example of the MI mentality, and, overall, a complete DUNIYA HILA DENGE show.

Ishan Kishan was one of the leading stage performers in this dynamic and entertaining visual cricket exhibition. With his athleticism behind the stumps (two caught dismissals) and fiery innings (34-ball 69), the southpaw laid down the platform for MI’s confident triumph.

“There's nothing like that I want to prove to someone. I just have to go there and enjoy it because I've learned that you don't have to put pressure on yourself about things that are not in your hands. The uncontrollable is there, and you have to figure out what is controllable and uncontrollable,” he told the media in the post-match press conference after Mumbai Indians’ seven-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday (April 12). 

Continuing, he elaborated on how he took his time to look at his game and the brand of cricket from a broader perspective.

“If I had been batting earlier, if I had been the old Ishan Kishan, if they had been good bowling in the first two overs, he would have come under a little pressure. But with time, I have learned that 20 overs is a massive game. You can take that time. Again, you can believe in yourself and move forward,” he said.

After Ishan’s blistering innings, Aapla Dada Surya took the baton and unleashed his own set of fireworks with the bat. And Ishan, like every member in the MI dressing room, echoed how it is a joy to watch the two-time ICC Men’s T20I Player of the Year do what he does best.

“It is always great to watch him when he's batting. He's a super player. He can play all over. He can just get any bowler under pressure. So, I enjoy his batting. We all do, every time we do, whenever he scores runs,” Ishan spoke with a happy smile.

Also, at the Wankhede, there is no par score. Nothing is par. 

“At the Wankhede, whenever you play, and the wicket is good, you always look to score more than 200. It's not about scoring 220; if we have a good start, we look to get as many runs as possible. So that is the thing. You can't set a certain target for your team or yourself. You just have to keep batting or keep looking at the total and what other bowlers are doing. So you keep planning.

“If the wicket falls, the planning will change. If our partnership is good, the planning will be different. It's a different story for us right now regarding how we take this thing. Our plan is not to set a total for ourselves. Let's just look at the situation and play our best cricket.”

Lastly, he had a word of praise of our skipper, Hardik Pandya, who too had a fun hit towards the end. And boy, ‘twas some hit!

“He loves challenges,” Ishan said. 

“When he comes on the field, his work ethic is very different, and I know he must enjoy it. I know him personally and have spent much time with him.”

“People also recognise your hard work, what you are going through, and how you are still doing well for the team…I just feel happy about him. His situation is that he is so keen on performing well, going there in the middle, hitting six on the very first ball, knowing that things can go differently and people can question you. But Hardik Pandya has that in himself.

That’s right. This is a special team, and we are witnessing a special surge. It’s time for Sunday and CSK then, at our home, at our fortress..