“World Cup jitayega?” was Suryakumar Yadav’s only question to Ishan Kishan when the captain contacted him to confirm his spot in India’s T20 World Cup team.
Never one to back down from a challenge, Kishan asked Suryakumar a question in response: “Bharosa karoge? (Will you trust me?)”
Suryakumar responded positively to the brief exchange, and Kishan went on to score 241 runs in the tournament, including a scorching half-century in Sunday’s crucial final in Ahmedabad.
“Surya bhai called me when the team was about to meet. I even took a screenshot because I had a feeling he had called about the World Cup team. He asked me directly, ‘World Cup jitayega?’ (Will you win us the World Cup)”
“I asked him, ‘Bharosa karoge?’ He said ‘yes’ and that was it,” PTI quoted Kishan as saying after India’s title victory, which was completed with a 96-run thumping of New Zealand.
However, the Bihar-man, who represents Jharkhand, had a really difficult night before the final. He was grieving a very personal loss. Kishan disclosed that he had recently learned that his cousin’s sister had died in an accident a few days ago. He was troubled by the news going into the tournament’s most important match.
Speaking about the emotional upheaval, Kishan stated that he chose to focus his batting in order to deal with his volatile emotions.
“To be very honest, before the game I was not planning to say this, but I’ll say it. My cousin sister passed away in a car accident and I got to know about it a few days back. She always wanted me to score big runs,” he said with pain in his voice.
“I was not feeling so good yesterday but today was a big day, so rather than keeping my emotions above the game, I thought the best thing I could do was score runs for her,” he said.
He clarified that when he reached fifty, he felt both relief and thankfulness for being able to do so for his late sister.
“When I looked up after scoring my fifty, it was for her. It was like saying this is for my sister. I’m very proud that we won today. I feel for her family but my close friends are there to take care. There was a lot going on inside me today and I just wanted to perform,” he said.
Kishan acknowledged that the emotional pressure made the preparation for the game challenging, but he reminded himself of the requirements of the team.
“Since last night I was not feeling alright and I kept thinking about what had happened. But at the end of the day you have to keep the team ahead because cricket is not an individual sport. I was just looking to score as many runs as possible even though there were questions in my mind about why bad things happen to good people.”
Kishan maintained that the Indian dressing room flourished on mutual trust and simplicity despite the heavy scrutiny around the competition. He claimed that instead of becoming overwhelmed by the situation, the players concentrated on remaining present in the team environment.
“The World Cup is always a very big stage and there is pressure and nervousness. But the work here is simple, you just have to pick the right shots and keep things uncomplicated. When you keep it simple, it becomes easier for a player.”
He also gave gratitude to the squad’s support network for preserving mental clarity.
“When you see everyone in the team, you understand the environment whether there is fear or confidence. This time the belief throughout the World Cup was very strong. The coach and captain gave everyone freedom and never doubted players, and when you get that backing you want to change the game yourself.”
For Kishan, the past few years have been spent learning to separate himself from the noise and expectations associated with playing international cricket. He said he has ceased overanalyzing his place and destiny as a result of that journey.
“To be very honest, in the last two years I have stopped thinking. I don’t think about where I will bat or whether I will be in the team tomorrow because that is not in my hands. The biggest thing I have learnt is to just keep doing your work, keep working hard and not worry about the result.”
Kishan added that he has learned how to control his intensity, drawing inspiration from more experienced players like Virat Kohli.
“I admire Virat a lot because of the way he has used his energy for so many years. That was important for me to understand, what I could change in myself.”
“Skills don’t change much…So I just keep doing my work now. I’ve stopped thinking too much,” Kishan signed off.
