Ishan Kishan has witnessed a remarkable achievement in his cricketing career as he led Jharkhand to a title win in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025. He played a magnificent knock of 101 runs in 49 balls as Jharkhand defeated Haryana by 69 runs in the final on Thursday.
This was Jharkhand's maiden SMAT title. Kishan led from the front throughout the tournament and was the top run-getter with 517 runs to his name at an average of 57.44 and a strike rate of over 197. He also scored an unbeaten 50-ball 113 earlier in the tournament against Tripura in the Elite Group stage.
Kishan, who has been out of the Indian team setup since 2023, had a lot to prove in the domestic T20 tournament, and he answered his critics in style with an aim to make an impressive comeback. Having been dropped from the squad by then-head coach Rahul Dravid and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar on disciplinary grounds, Kishan has finally broken his silence and stated that the phase was very difficult for him. "When I was not selected in the Indian team, I felt quite bad because I was doing well. But I told myself that if I am not selected with this sort of performance, then maybe I have to do more. Maybe I have to make my team win. Maybe we have to do well as a unit," Kishan said.
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"It’s important that you don’t allow the frustration to get to you. This is my message to all the youngsters - frustration is something that will take you one step down, but at the same time, you need to put in a lot of hard work and believe in yourself and just focus on what you need to achieve," he added.
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Despite an outstanding effort, Kishan might not make it to India's squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. However, the left-hander isn't bothered by it, as his focus remains on performing in every given opportunity. "I know you fancy your chances a lot of times. And when you don’t see your name, you just feel bad about it. So, I’m not in that zone anymore. I’m not expecting anything,” he said with a smile, before adding: “But my job is to just keep performing," he said.
Kishan has already seen many ups and downs in his career. Interestingly, he was dropped from the ODI playing XI once despite hitting a double century after the incumbent Shubman Gill made his way back.