PATNA: Early in 2024 it seemed all over for Ishan Kishan. The left-handed batter was dropped from BCCI’s central contracts list on the back of taking a break during the tour of South Africa and not playing domestic cricket despite the board’s diktat.Two years down the line Kishan has shown that he belongs at the top with the very best after playing a pivotal role in helping India defend the T20 World Cup and on return to Patna on Tuesday, he was given a hero’s welcome.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“My performance and the team’s success serve as significant motivation for young children from Bihar and elsewhere who aspire to grow in the sport,” said the wicketkeeper-batter.“I felt the better I perform, the more motivation it will provide for the young children from here who want to move forward,” he stated.

Despite the success on the field, Kishan faced a heartbreaking loss off it as his maternal cousin, Patna High Court advocate Vaishnavi Singh, and her husband, Ritwik Thakur, died in a road accident a day before the final on Saturday. He, however, didn’t let the tragic loss affect him and scored 54 off 25 balls in the final. Ishan had also made a 40-ball 77 against Pakistan and 24-ball 61 against Namibia as overall he amassed 317 runs from nine matches.It’s not the first time that he has risen above adversities.Last year, he got back into the BCCI central contract and took Jharkhand to victory in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he was the highest scorer with 517 runs. It was enough to get a call-up to the T20 World Cup team and he did not disappoint.“Having played the World Cup now, it shows that you just have to work hard and you can move forward from anywhere,” Kishan added.