Rayudu: Sai Kishore 'as good as anybody' in the Indian team

Former India batter Ambati Rayudu thinks Gujarat Titans (GT) left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore is "as good as anybody" who is part of the India team at the moment. Sai Kishore is currently GT's second-highest wicket-taker and also the second-highest wicket-taker among all spinners in IPL 2025, with eight strikes in four matches at an economy rate of 7.06. His overall T20 economy rate of 5.98 after 74 matches is even more impressive.

"This guy has always improved day in and day out. He used to work much harder than many people in the nets," Rayudu said on ESPNcricinfo's TimeOut show, having spent time with Sai Kishore when they were part of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during IPL 2020 and 2021. Sai Kishore didn't get a game for CSK and then moved to GT in 2022, when he made his IPL debut. Ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, GT used their RTM (Right to Match) card on Sai Kishore and bought him back.

"He used to be the first to start, and the last to go out," Rayudu said. "And he used to bowl to every batsman, [and] ask them for feedback [regarding] what his lengths were. He was constantly learning. That's the greatest aspect, and now you see his control in terms of length. And he also bowls differently to each batsman. He doesn't bowl the same ball. A lot of bowlers that we see are so comfortable bowling one length or one line. He is not that kind of bowler; he can adjust accordingly."

Against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday, Sai Kishore bagged 2 for 24 in four overs. That included the wickets of spin-hitters Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar. Rayudu was particularly impressed with how Sai Kishore outsmarted Klaasen.

"The way he celebrated Klaasen's wicket today; he rarely celebrates. I know why he celebrated - because he planned for that," Rayudu said. "He bowled over the stumps to Klaasen so that he could take the ball away from his arc. And then he came around, and he knew Klaasen would go for his pick-up shot. So he bowled that quicker one. So I think he planned for it; he plans a lot."

Sai Kishore has played three T20Is for India, as part of a second-string side, at the Asian Games in October 2023. Since then, he hasn't represented India in any format.

"He is quite the guy not to get into the Indian side," Rayudu said. "I think, going forward, it will be great if he gets into the Indian side because he is as good as anybody who is playing in the Indian team now."

Ian Bishop, meanwhile, recalled an interview with Sai Kishore, where the spinner spoke of the adjustments he had to make when GT were playing Mumbai Indians earlier this season.

"SKY [Suryakumar Yadav] was sweeping it. I asked, 'What did you do differently today?' And he said, 'Today, I had to bowl more defensively because the ball wasn't gripping as much'," Bishop said. "So he was around the wicket to the left-hand batters, [angling] across.

"The guy has played only ten [14] games [in the IPL], and this is the first year that he's going to be one of the leaders of the spin-bowling attack because it's always been Jaddu and those guys at CSK, and Noor Ahmad and Rashid [Khan] at GT. But now, he has a chance to be a leader."