New Delhi [India], January 31 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif hailed wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan for his maiden T20I ton in his comeback series, saying he shows the 'power of never giving up, training hard and believing in your strength'.

Kishan, who had made it to the T20 World Cup squad after an incredible Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) title-winning campaign for Jharkhand as a back-up keeper-batter, has thrown out his name as a first-choice player ahead of a struggling Sanju Samson with an explosive 42-ball ton at Thiruvananthapuram.

Taking to X, Kaif said, 'Ishan Kishan shows the power of not giving up, training hard and believing in your strength. He never changed his style and got the rewards. What a timely comeback... just a week before the World T20.'

https://x.com/MohammadKaif/status/2017620466811474182

After being dropped from the central contract list of the BCCI in 2024, Kishan took it on his chin and made his opportunities count in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and domestic cricket and finally found his way back in the list last year.

The left-hander's exploits reached its pinnacle during SMAT 2025/26, where he led Jharkhand to their maiden title with a chart-topping 517 runs in 10 innings with two centuries and fifties each and a strike rate of over 197. A century in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, a 39-ball 125 against Karnataka and 155 runs in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy followed, and Ishan was back in the Indian side for the T20 WC and NZ series before it as a back-up keeper.

But with Sanju having scored just 46 runs in these five matches and Kishan standing tall with 215 runs in four matches at an average of 53.75, strike rate of 231-plus with two fifties, it seems cards could flip in favour of Ishan to be the first-choice keeper for the marquee T20I tournament.

During his scintillating century, Ishan reached the milestones of 1,000 T20I runs and 2,000 international runs for India.

In 36 T20Is, he has made 1,011 runs at an average of 28.88 and a strike rate of 137.92, with a century and seven sixes.

In 65 international matches, he has made 2,022 runs in 63 innings at an average of 34.86, with two centuries, 15 fifties and a best score of 210. He has also played 27 ODIs for India, scoring 933 runs in 24 innings at an average of 42.40 and a strike rate of over 102, with a century and seven fifties and a best score of 210, the fastest double ton in the history of ODI cricket in just 126 balls. He has also played two Tests, scoring 78 runs in three innings, including a fifty. (ANI)