Sai Kishore left the national anthem for India’s Asian Games quarterfinals with tears in his eyes; Dinesh Karthik shared an emotional message

Every aspiring cricket player hopes to represent Team India at the greatest level. But since India is a cricket-mad country, there is fierce rivalry for every position in the team, putting the backups often under pressure to put up strong performances at the local level for a long time, frequently seasons after seasons. But it often turns into an emotional scenario after the protracted wait is over and you win the cap. Sai Kishore is aware of this, which is why he shed tears at the playing of the national anthem before his India T20I debut against Nepal in the 2023 Asian Games quarterfinal.

On Tuesday, India’s first participation in men’s cricket at the Asian Games, Kishore won his first cap after 30 First-Class outings and 96 in the white-ball format for Tamil Nadu since his debut in 2017, during which he collected over 200 wickets. Kishore was upset later when the players gathered for the national anthem before to the start of the game. He started crying, and a video of it circulated on social media.

Kishore’s Tamil Nadu colleagues were moved to tears as they saw the 26-year-old perform at such a significant event for India, and veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik afterwards shared a long post on X detailing Kishore’s story.

“God has ways of rewarding those who put forth a lot of effort. I couldn’t be more thrilled for this incredible player @saik_99, who has dominated domestic cricket with the white ball. I was overcome with grief when I saw his name in the 11 when I first got out of bed. He was always at the top of my list of persons I wanted to succeed. He was a STROKELESS wonder who has utterly turned into a player who can be counted on in every format, as seen by the way his hitting has progressed. I could go on and on about him, but I’ll stop here. No one can ever take away my joy at seeing him develop into an Indian cricket player. Go well, Sai,” he said in his message.

Kishore was crucial to India’s victory in Hangzhou by a margin of 23 runs. In addition to grabbing three catches and picking up a wicket for 25 runs in four wickets, he helped India advance to the semifinals, where a victory would guarantee them a medal.