My performance will motivate youngsters, feels Kishan

Patna: Early in 2024 it seemed all over for Ishan Kishan after he was dropped from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) central contract list on the back of taking a break during the tour of South Africa and not playing domestic cricket despite BCCI’s diktat.However, two years down the line Kishan has showed that he belongs at the top with the very best after playing a pivotal role in helping the Indian team defend the T20 World Cup and on return to Patna on Tuesday, was given a hero’s welcome.“My performance and the team’s success serve as significant motivation for young children from Bihar and elsewhere who aspire to grow in the sport,” said the wicketkeeper-batter upon his arrival at the airport.

“I feel that the better I perform, the more motivation it will provide for the young children from here who want to move forward,” he further added.Despite the success on the field, Kishan faced a heartbreaking loss off it as his maternal cousin, Patna High Court advocate Vaishnavi Singh, and her husband, Ritwik Thakur, died in a road accident on Saturday.He, however, didn’t let it affect him and in the final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad on Sunday, he scored crucial 54 off 25 balls.

Besides that, he also made a 40-ball 77 against Pakistan and 24-ball 61 against Namibia as overall he amassed 317 runs from nine matches.It’s not the first time that he has risen above adversities.Even after losing his place in the team, the wicketkeeper-batter, who scored a double century against Bangladesh in 2022, started rebuilding his career playing domestic cricket for Jharkhand and hit a 23-ball 77 in late 2024 in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to grab the eyeballs.Then in 2025, he was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 11.25 crore and, on debut for SRH in the Indian Premier League, scored 106 of 47 balls to show the selectors once again what he was capable of.Later that year, he got back into the BCCI central contract and took Jharkhand to victory in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he was the highest scorer with 517 runs. It was enough to get a call-up to the T20 World Cup team and he did not disappoint.“Having played the World Cup now, it shows that you just have to work hard and you can move forward from anywhere,” Kishan added.Irrespective of the performance over the past few months, his focus will remain on continuing to score runs, playing consistently and keep winning for the country, and thereby make sure he never loses his place in the team again.