The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sidelined India’s wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan from being part of the national side after he opted out to play in the Ranji Trophy last year. The opening batter of the side left the South Africa tour in the middle before making himself unavailable for the T20I series against Afghanistan and the Test series at home against England.
At the end of India’s last home season, the red-ball captain Rohit Sharma spoke about the need for their players, being part of the Ranji Trophy to be in full shape and rhythm when they make their way back for the Blue Brigade.
Despite that insistence, Ishan Kishan decided not to represent his state team, Jharkhand, as he turned up to train for the Baroda team before the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. This resulted in his exclusion from the BCCI’s central contract.
Ishan Kishan aggress to return for this domestic team
The 26-year-old didn’t enjoy a great IPL season for the Mumbai Indians, where he finished with only 320 runs in 14 games, at an average of 22.85 and a strike rate of 148.83, besides celebrating a couple of half-centuries with a best score of 69. As a team, they finished at the bottom of the points table.
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The situation has changed as the recent reports have claimed. Influenced by the national selectors, Ishan Kishan has made himself available to be back for the Jharkhand side.
He has been included in the list of 25 pre-season by the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA). The national team selectors warned of losing several opportunities on the international side, in case he didn’t participate in domestic cricket.
In a period between July 2021 and November 2023, the left-handed aggressive batter has been part of two Test matches, 27 ODIs, and 32 T20I games. In those 24 innings of the 50-over format, he has smashed 933 runs at an average of 42.40 and a strike rate of over 100, besides celebrating seven half-centuries and one century, with a best of 210-run knock against Bangladesh.
Ishan Kishan’s last appearance for the Indian team was in November 2023 during the ODI World Cup, after which the reports expressed that his frustration grew with the team management favoring part-time wicketkeeper KL Rahul.
It was quite surprising to see him not being selected even for the T20I series against Sri Lanka, where most of the senior players took a break after the World Cup 2024. The domestic season is set to begin with the Duleep Trophy first-class red-ball competition on September 05 in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh.
Once the Patna-born starts representing his domestic team and scores truck-loaded runs, he is expected to make a return for the national side. The IPL-winning captain for the Kolkata Knight Riders- Shreyas Iyer also was part of the Mumbai side in domestic cricket, after which he returned to the national side in the 50-over format in Sri Lanka.
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With Rohit Sharma and Virat taking retirement from the shortest format of the game, Ishan Kishan could contribute at the number three position, which will also offer the team an option for the left-hander. In 32 T20I innings, he has 796 runs at an average of nearly 26 and a strike rate of 124.67, with six half-centuries.
Meanwhile, Jharkhand has appointed Shiv Shankar Rao as their coach for the upcoming season, who has played 53 first-class games for Bihar. SS Rao replaces former Indian pacer Debasis Mohanty, who coached the team last season.