Ishan Kishan set the stage for India’s emphatic 93-run win over Namibia at the T20 World Cup last evening in Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.
In the absence of Abhishek Sharma, Ishan blasted 61 off just 25 balls, as India brought up their fastest-ever T20 World Cup hundred. Once Ishan perished, it was almost as if the Indian innings took a different course with Namibia’s spinners, led by Gerhard Erasmus’s four-wicket burst, until Hardik Pandya came in and belted a quickfire half-century of his own to take the team to a total of 209/9. It was almost fitting that Hardik took over from Ishan as the two former Mumbai Indians teammates came together for a chat after India picked up their second win of the tournament.
Not too long ago, when Ishan smashed his comeback century, scoring 103 against New Zealand in the fifth T20I, Hardik was his partner at the non-striker end, and the fact that he celebrated Kishan’s milestone more than the batter himself spoke volumes about the camaraderie the two guys share. In 2024, when Ishan was stripped off BCCI’s Central Contracts List, the one person he spent a lot of time with was Hardik, with the duo training together at Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium. Two years later, as Ishan stands back on top, reaping the benefits of his hard work, he has one man to thank.
Ishan explains Hardik’s role
“I am usually not the kind of person who will keep quiet, but because I was in touch with him and he was like, ‘It’s up to you whether you want to talk to somebody about it or go negative about it. It is in your hand’. And that was playing cricket and scoring runs. And doing well in whichever tournaments I was playing in. Credit also goes to him,” Ishan said in a video uploaded by the BCCI.
Ishan successfully displaced Sanju Samson from the top of the order, debuting India’s new opening pair with Abhishek Sharma. And to think, it took Ishan this long to get here. In December of 2022, Ishan tore the record books by belting the fastest double-century in ODI cricket. But if there’s one thing you know about Indian cricket, is that you don’t know what’s next. Hardik saw up close and personal the turmoil Kishan went through, and today, as he stands reunited with him in the Indian T20I setup, the star all-rounder couldn’t keep calm.
Hardik can’t be prouder
“It was a fabulous 100,” Hardik spoke about Kishan’s knock in Thiruvananthapuram. The rhythm in which you smashed it, the way the ball left your bat, I was extremely happy. For the last two years, you have worked really hard behind the scenes, kept quiet. Even when the opportunity did not come, you were still smiling, keeping the spirit high and working hard.
“Hard work is supposed to happen when no one is watching. And that is the actual benefit. No matter what happens in life, don’t be a crybaby. Get up in the morning, work hard, put your head down and sleep. Again, repeat it. He has taken the torch, responded with the bat, and I am really proud of it.”