INTERVIEW
Follow UsNikin Jose is 24 but has already been heralded as Karnataka’s present and future.
Like most Indian kids, Nikin was introduced to the sport by his dad at a young age and fell in love with it. Over the next few years, the youngster made significant strides, swiftly climbing up the ladder from age-group level to become earmarked as the future leader of the prestigious Karnataka outfit.
That’s the level of confidence that the selectors have placed in the 24-year-old, who has now moved to the top of the batting order for Karnataka in the 2024/25 Ranji Trophy season.
In his first outing as an opener for the state, the right-hander went about his things in a ‘jaw-dropping’ fashion, with a 99 on a challenging track against quality opponents in Madhya Pradesh, which had the likes of Kumar Kartikeya, Avesh Khan and Saransh Jain. Despite wickets tumbling at the other end, the right-hander kept it very simple, trying to soak in all the pressure.
So, how did he go about his things on a tricky surface?
“Whether you are an opener or a number 4, it is essential how you go about the first 60 balls,” Nikin tells Cricket.com after Karnataka’s clash against Kerala.
“And when you get through it, you know what's happening on the wicket. It's pretty much easy. Just apply yourself there and play according to its merit. Limit your risk-free shots. You are good to go. It just sounded simple, and that’s how I wanted the game plan to be. I just wanted it to be simple and contribute to the team in every way possible,” he added.
But the right-hander didn’t know that he would open alongside Mayank Agarwal until a week before the Ranji season started. Once he knew, the 24-year-old spent the entirety of the next week focusing on how to tackle that new nut, which presented a different challenge.
“Actually, it was pretty surprising because I didn't know that I was going to open until a week before the tournament,” he said.
“I had to get back to my basics because batting at number 4 and opening are two different roles. When you are at No.4, you are facing the older balls but when you are opening, you have to face the red-hard cherry, which will be testing.”
“As soon as they told me, the first thing I checked was the group. Who are we playing? And how do I go about this year? We have a very good group and tough matches and situations. For me, though, the game plan was simple. It was always about the number of balls I could play and the amount of time I could spend out there grounding it,” he adds.
Over the next 216 deliveries he faced in Indore, the right-hander was just ticking the boxes and giving himself small tasks to achieve, including facing as many as 150 balls during his stay at the crease.
“My goal was simple: take it deep and get your team into a good position. Personal scores don't matter once your goals align with the team's needs. I don't think you will ever face pressure again. One of the main reasons MS Dhoni is an MS Dhoni and Virat is a Virat Kohli is that they put the team ahead of themselves,” he adds.
Once he saw through the initial phase, which proved challenging, he used the favourable match-up to put the pressure back on Madhya Pradesh, taking on the off-spinner Saransh.
“No matter how many runs you get. If you are batting 20 or 100 balls, it's still fine. Make the ball softer and tire them out. When I stepped up and took on Saransh [Jain], I put them directly under pressure. The only thing that I was discussing with my partner was that we would tire them out and take it from there,” he reflected on the drawn clash against MP.
When Nikin made his debut in 2022, he lit up the world with a prolific run-scoring season, amassing 547 runs with five 50+ scores, including a century against the domestic behemoth Saurashtra, where he struck at 67.70.
It was during that season that the right-hander took his stroke-filled gameplay from the age-group level to the senior level, before which he even earned the ‘vice-captain’ tag of the state side. That success also ultimately led to the BCCI picking him in the squad for the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in 2023, where he scored 122 runs in four innings.
“I really have to mention. When the first national anthem [ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023] happened, when we took our stand, there were goosebumps. You are singing the national anthem and wearing the national jersey. It was an unforgettable moment,” the Karnataka man said with pride on his face.
A year later, however, things fell off a cliff for the then 23-year-old, who suffered from the ‘second-season syndrome’. Across the eight fixtures in 2023/24, the right-hander suffered a lean patch, scoring just 281 runs, averaging 20.07 in the competition, with five ducks, and could only manage two scores of fifty or more in the entire season.
This, combined with the fact that he was the vice-captain, could have put a lot of pressure on any individual, but not Nikin. Even when he was coming out of a poor season, all the 24-year-old had to say was, "I was grateful that it happened sooner in my career when I saw both my highs and lows."
“I didn't really work on anything. I just took it. It helped me understand more about myself and my game. I also understood how to approach a big tournament,” he said.
“When they made me the vice-captain of Karnataka [2023 season], what was expected of me was clearly visible. But unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. I would like to see the positive side of it. I was actually grateful that it happened sooner. It helped me come out of this year in a better frame of mind.”
So, in terms of technique, did the Mysore-born change anything about his game?
“Actually, nothing much. Regarding skills, everything remained the same. It's all about how you mentally toughen yourself up and go about things. That was the only thing running in my mind. I was preparing for a tough season opener against a quality Madhya Pradesh side,” he said.
“No matter what, I am not going to get out. It doesn't matter what number of runs I get as long as the goal is not to get out. I wanted to bat more than 100 balls; that was the only thing on my mind, and I played about 200-250 balls. That was the only goal.”
The other fascinating aspect about the 24-year-old is how he views the ebbs and flows of the sport's gruelling demands. He likes to keep things relatively simple, stating that everything is ‘quite simple’, and players often overcomplicate the simplest things.
“Everything is simple. We think about things outside our control, complicating the situation. We should just worry about the things that are within our control. It's just a matter of thinking about what you can do best for your team and how you can contribute to them in every way,” he said, downplaying the toughness of India’s domestic season.
“When it comes to fielding, for example, converting those half chances, trying to get that one run out when you are batting, just bat, especially when it's a longer format. Just look to stay in the present.
“Just play according to the ball. And when it comes to bowling, as well. I will be given a few overs. I knew that. So when that was given to me, my duty was just to keep it tight. And what was required for the team. Just go there and execute it.”
What makes the Karnataka lad so calm and composed? Well, the upbringing that he has had in Mysore has almost limited the damage that chaos could cause in one’s life. But mostly, it has been the time that Nikin has spent outside on the balcony that has helped him build his level of patience and calmness while on the field.
“I spend a lot of time on the balcony. I just put a chair there and start staring outside whenever I get time. I like the peace. I rarely go out in Mysore, and to be really honest, I don’t know half of Mysore. I really like that peace. I know it might sound boring, but that is what I prefer,” Nikin opened up.
“It helps me shut down completely. It's always going to be chirpy around when I'm batting. Nobody is going to allow you to bat. I just think about the time when I'm on the balcony and how peaceful it is, to block out all the noise that surrounds me and just focus.”
For all aspiring cricketers, cricket may not be as straightforward as 24-year-old Nikin Jose suggests, but there's a valuable lesson for you to learn: to tune out the distractions off the field. This approach is helping both Nikin and Karnataka steadily progress toward greater achievements.
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