T20 World Cup | Ishan Kishan Press Conference: Indian batting collapses in fifty against Namibia
Interestingly, Hardik himself was going through a challenging period in early 2024. After returning to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans – where he led the side to the IPL title – he was appointed MI captain. The decision drew strong backlash from sections of fans loyal to former captain Rohit Sharma, with loud boos and criticism greeting Hardik at several places.During this period, Hardik and Ishan spent considerable time together, bonding and training intensively. Determined to respond with performances, Kishan went on a run-scoring run in domestic cricket. He started with a century for India-C in the Duleep Trophy, followed by 38 in the Irani Cup. He hit a century for Jharkhand in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season. He also impressed in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring 316 runs in seven matches at an average of over 45 and hitting over 128, including a hundred.Kishan carried that momentum into the IPL, scoring 354 runs in his debut season with Sunrisers Hyderabad, including a century against Rajasthan Royals. He registered two fifties in County cricket during his time with Nottinghamshire. He then led Jharkhand to their first SMAT title, leading the charts with 517 runs in 10 innings, including two hundreds and two fifties. A stunning 39-ball 125 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy against Karnataka further strengthened his case for national selection.His return to the Indian T20I team against New Zealand proved fruitful as he emerged as the second highest run-getter with 215 runs at an average of 53.75 and a knock of over 231, including a century and a fifty. Notably, there has been a marked improvement in his outside play and six-hit ability.When he brought up his first T20I century against New Zealand in Kerala, Hardik was at the non-striker’s end and shared an emotional hug when Kishan reached the milestone.Reflecting on his absence, Kishan said that while he was “not the type of person to keep quiet”, Hardik advised him to let his bat do the talking.“Usually I’m not the type of person to keep quiet, but because I was in touch with him and he was like, ‘It’s up to you whether you want to talk about it or be negative about it. It’s in your hands’. And that was playing cricket and scoring runs. And I did well in the tournaments I played in. Credit also goes to him (for helping him come back),” Kishan said.Meanwhile, Hardik recalled Kishan’s century against the Kiwis with pride and highlighted the journey they shared.“The rhythm in which you smashed it, the way the ball left your bat, I was extremely happy. You worked really hard behind the scenes for the last two years, kept quiet. Even when the opportunity didn’t come, you kept smiling, kept your spirit high and worked hard,” Hardik said.“Hard work is meant to be when nobody’s watching. And that’s the real payoff. No matter what happens in life, don’t be a whiner. Get up in the morning, work hard, put your head down and sleep. Do it again. He took the torch, answered with the bat, and I’m really proud of that,” concluded the jack-of-all-trades.