‘The best thing I could do was score runs for her’: Ishan Kishan opens up on playing through grief after cousin’s death

Before the 2026 T20 World Cup, Suryakumar Yadav called Ishan Kishan to confirm his place in the squad. The captain asked, “World Cup jitayega?” (Will you win the World Cup?), to which Kishan replied, “Bharosa karoge?” (Will you have faith in me?).

Suryakumar said yes, and Kishan delivered, scoring 241 runs in the tournament, including a brilliant half-century in the final against New Zealand, helping India win by 96 runs.



However, the final was emotionally challenging for Kishan. He revealed that his cousin sister had died in a car accident just days before the match.

He decided to channel his grief into his batting. "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," one could gauge the 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.

Kishan explained that the emotional weight made the match difficult, but he reminded himself that team comes first.

"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."

He also praised the team environment, saying it was built on simplicity, trust, and mutual support.

"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."

On a personal level, Kishan shared that he has learned to detach from pressure and expectations over the last two years.

"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."

He also mentioned being inspired by Virat Kohli, learning from how Kohli manages his energy.

"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.