More than two years after his last international hundred, Kishan walked back into the Indian XI with pressure on his shoulders and a World Cup only days away. What followed was a statement innings. His 103 off 43 balls, packed with ten sixes and six fours, was bold, fearless, and unmistakably personal. This was not just a knock it was a reminder.
Kishan began cautiously, feeling his way back after missing the previous match due to a niggle. But once set, the switch flipped. He reached his fifty in just 28 balls and then tore into New Zealand’s bowling, especially Ish Sodhi, who conceded 29 runs in a single over. The crowd sensed it. The opposition felt it. Kishan knew it.
When the hundred finally came, he paused. Helmet off. Arms wide. He soaked in the moment, with Hardik Pandya at the other end and the Indian support staff on their feet. It felt earned.
That feeling was echoed most strongly by the man who has seen Kishan’s journey from the start his childhood coach, Uttam Mazumdar.
“I’m very relaxed, very happy, and extremely proud of Ishan. The way he made it just before the World Cup, scoring such a century, was special. After coming back after two years, this innings meant a lot,” Mazumdar told myKhel.
“I can say this is a moment of pride for India… It truly feels like Ishan’s comeback, a new milestone. I can say this is a new Ishan Kishan for everyone to watch and see.”
For Mazumdar, the timing of the knock mattered as much as the runs “For the entire team, it was a huge moment. It lifted the team’s morale ahead of the World Cup. This wasn’t just about him scoring a hundred; it was an innings that changed the morale of the whole team.”
Even the earlier miss a well-made 76 in the second T20I was not forgotten.
“He could have scored 100… Unfortunately, he couldn’t do it then, but that match was also brilliant for him,” the coach said, calling both innings “very special” for India heading into the World Cup.
There was tension too. At 84, a dropped catch gave Kishan a second life. “My heart stopped… I was praying to God,” Mazumdar admitted, revealing a deeply personal moment of faith and hope.
By the time Jacob Duffy finally dismissed Kishan, the job was done. India had momentum. Kishan had his moment. And ahead of the World Cup, one thing felt clear: this was not just a return it was a reclaiming of place.
Ishan Kishan has done everything he could. Now, the stage awaits.