India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav hailed Ishan Kishan for his contribution in the recently concluded tournament.
Kishan’s return to international cricket has been a story of redemption. The wicketkeeper-batter amassed a mountain of runs and forced his way into the T20 World Cup squad.
He was initially just a back-up, but sensational knocks in the bilateral New Zealand series just before the World Cup and Sanju Samson’s poor form saw Kishan start the campaign for India.
Later, Samson returned, and it paid dividends, as the combination with Abhishek reaped benefits. Meanwhile, Kishan showcased his brilliance in the final at no. 3.
‘Will you win the World Cup for me?’
Speaking to ICC, Suryakumar opened up about his conversation with Kishan while picking the team for the World Cup and the question he asked him. “Before the tournament, I still remember when we were picking the team. I had a call with him and I told him, ‘Will you win the World Cup for me?'”, he said.
“He said, just show a little bit of trust and I’ll do it. And he didn’t disappoint. In the last two years, he has missed out on a lot of international cricket, but then he went back to domestic cricket, played his part, did those hard yards, came back again into the Indian side, and did the best what he’s known to do,” he added.
Kishan was key in the top order during the World Cup, registering 317 runs in nine matches at an average of 35.22 and 193 strike rate.
He was also India’s second-highest run-scorer in the tournament, registering three half-centuries. His performances with the bat in the tournament also saw him move to second position in the ICC T20I rankings for batters. Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma remains on top after his 18-ball half-century in the final.
Samson’s return saw the former RR start to grab the chance with both hands. He got three consecutive 80-plus scores in the last three matches, finishing with 321 runs. It is also the highest by an Indian at a single T20 World Cup edition, and he also received the Player of the Tournament.