Ishan Kishan’s unexpected response at Koh-E-Zafar left Shreyas Iyer and Abhishek Sharma laughing
Kishan praised Afghanistan’s passion and highlighted Mohammad Nabi’s influence on his batting
India won the first two T20Is by seven wickets to take an unassailable 2-0 lead
The India-Afghanistan rivalry has increasingly carried a friendly edge, with several players from both sides sharing dressing rooms in the IPL. That camaraderie was on display away from the field as the Afghanistan Cricket Board hosted the ‘Koh-E-Zafar’ event in New Delhi on Wednesday.
During an interactive session, Ishan Kishan was asked what impressed him most about the passion of Afghanistan’s players. His response lasted only a few words but produced plenty of laughter around him. Sitting alongside Kishan were India captain Shreyas Iyer and opener Abhishek Sharma, who could not hold back their reactions to the wicketkeeper-batter’s unexpected answer.
Ishan Kishan’s One-Liner Leaves Iyer, Abhishek Laughing
Asked by ANI about what stands out about the passion of Afghanistan’s players, Kishan began with, “Firstly, Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim.” The simple response immediately triggered laughter from Iyer and Abhishek, turning an otherwise formal interaction into one of the lighter moments of the evening.
Kishan then spoke more seriously about his experiences with Afghanistan’s players, particularly Mohammad Nabi, his former Mumbai Indians teammate. He explained that Nabi had helped him during batting sessions and shared insights into how he planned to bowl to him.
"I've played with Nabi bhai in Mumbai Indians, and he used to help me a lot during batting sessions as well, you know, how he was planning to bowl against them. So it's everything is on the positive side, so we always love to play against the Afghanistan team,” he said.
Kishan also praised Afghanistan’s competitive hunger, saying their constant desire to take wickets makes playing against them an enjoyable learning experience. The event itself was designed to celebrate the cricketing relationship between India and Afghanistan, with players and officials from both boards coming together.
How India Have Fared in the First Two T20Is
The friendly gathering came with India already having one hand on the series after dominant performances in the opening two matches. India won the first T20I in New Delhi by seven wickets, chasing down Afghanistan’s 156/8 in only 13.4 overs. Abhishek Sharma provided the fireworks with 82 off 32 balls, while Kishan contributed 42. Arshdeep Singh claimed 3/19.
India repeated the result in the second T20I, again winning by seven wickets to seal the three-match series 2-0. Afghanistan made 159/8, but India reached 163/3 in 14.5 overs. Sanju Samson scored 57, Abhishek made 39 and Kishan remained unbeaten on 38. Nitish Kumar Reddy was named Player of the Match after taking 3/24. The third T20I is scheduled for September 17 in Delhi.
