"You must've seen in the Netflix documentary," Mahela Jayawardene, Mumbai Indians' head coach, gives a pointer on how Ishan Kishan was when he had joined the franchise. "We had to train him with all his bad habits off the field too. Bad as in not partying but that he was gaming a lot."

Of all that the makers of the web series had collected, the few bits they did end up showing on the young wicketkeeper-batsman was how his trainers, coaches and nutritionists were not entirely happy with his routines. The highlight being Paul Chapman, the strength and conditioning coach, not holding back in his expression and stating, "You're not applying yourself, you're basically being a d***head."

That Kishan was talented was spotted early but the challenges for the coaching and support staff was to understand what gets him to tick. Of the lot, Jaywardene understood that in the first season itself, when in a must-win game against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018, Kishan was promoted to number 4 with a clear memo from the coach: "KKR have spinners bowling. Just take them on and get 30 runs in 10 or 15 balls. That's the momentum I want." Kishan returned with a 21-ball 62, taking the team's score from 62 in 9 overs to 144 in 14.4 overs. As much as that innings turned a chapter for him personally, it was also a moment that stands out for the MI head coach.

"I learned that day that he wanted that kind of clarity," Jayawardene recalls to Cricbuzz. "From that point onwards, I tried to give him that kind of instruction and clarity. I felt that the more he thinks, the more he gets into trouble. Like his