'Abhi yours is of 1 month, mine was of 2 years' - Ishan Kishan reflects on life struggles alongside Abhishek Sharma post India's T20 World Cup win

The Indian team won the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 in a convincing fashion by beating New Zealand in the final on Sunday, March 08, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. After the triumph, Kishan and Abhishek appeared for an on-field interaction to reflect their respective struggles on the cricketing field, to which the 25-year-old was eager to answer.

However, the Jharkhand cricketer said that his struggles are far bigger and more painful than what Abhishek had to go through in his career playing for the Indian team. 

"I’ll answer that, because I’m struggling at the moment," Abhishek told the broadcasters.

Abhishek also appeared on air later and reflected on how a slump form before the final match did not deter the faith that the coaching staff and the captain Suryakumar Yadav had in him. Come the final, Abhishek repaid all of that to bring a smile on the faces of more than a billion people, smashing 52 off just 21 that gave India a rollicking start, and ultimately led them to posting a strong total of 255-5 on the board.

"One thing was very clear, which I wanted to share before as well, but today is the best day. The captain and coach had faith in me. Even I was doubting myself. I had never experienced this before; it was a tough tournament. I was just doing my process, trying to take it one game after another, but it wasn't easy. But I love this team because of the way they backed me," Abhishek said.

"It wasn't easy for me because going through the whole year i was doing well for the team, but in the big tournament I wasn't able to. But the faith the team and management showed in me. I got emotional in the middle of the tournament and wanted to talk to the coach and captain and they said you'll win us the big games. The crowd has supported us a lot even through tough times," he added.