"Ishan Kishan Will Be Back Soon In The Indian Team.." Former Indian Skipper

Former Indian skipper and legend Sunil Gavaskar has opened up on Ishan Kishan’s exclusion from the Indian team, manifesting his return in the Test side soon. India’s head coach, Rahul Dravid made it clear that Ishan Kishan would have to play domestic cricket to make himself available for selection for the Indian team. However, it came to everyone’s notice that Kishan didn’t reach out to the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) regarding his participation in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season.

Hence, the wicketkeeper-batter wasn’t included in India’s Test squad for the first two Test matches against England, with KS Bharat, KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel being the three wicket-keepers in the 16-man squad. Ishan Kishan has played only two Test matches in his career as of now and both came against West Indies last year in July. He was selected for the Test squad for South Africa but opted out of it due to personal reasons.

Also Read: Andrew McDonald Confirms Matt Renshaw To Be Available For BBL Qualifiers Despite Usman Khawaja’s Concussion

Sunil Gavaskar expressed uncertainty over Ishan Kishan’s availability for the national team in his column in the Sportstar. The former Indian skipper also reiterated Rahul Dravid’s take on Ishan Kishan’s exclusion from India’s squad against Afghanistan and clarity over rumours of his exclusion due to disciplinary reasons.

“It’s early days, of course, and one doesn’t know when Ishan Kishan, who asked to be allowed to go home from South Africa, is going to make himself available again. Rahul Dravid, the coach of the team, has very clearly said that he has to play in the Ranji Trophy and show his form to be considered for selection,” Gavaskar wrote.

“Dravid also very categorically and firmly debunked the rumours that Kishan was left out because of disciplinary reasons. Hopefully, that will set the matter to rest and not further sully a young man’s name, which was done by some ill-founded speculation after his name was found missing in the Indian squad for the first two Test matches against England,” Gavaskar added.

Ishan Kishan Opted Out Of The Test Series Against South Africa Due To Mental Fatigue

Ishan Kishan withdrew his name from the Test series against the Proteas in December 2023 and returned from South Africa. BCCI informed that Ishan Kishan opted out of the Test series against the Proteas for personal reasons. As per reports, Ishan Kishan requested a break due to mental fatigue after some rigorous travelling with the national team in the past few months.

Ishan Kishan flew with the Indian squad to South Africa and was selected for the T20I series and initially the Test series but he didn’t get to play any game in the T20I series for India and eventually opted out of the Test series.

Also Read: Ben Dwarshuis Credits India Series For His Career Best BBL Performance Against Brisbane Heat In The Qualifier

Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at the media for spoiling the youngster’s name and not getting their facts right. He is hopeful that Kishan will be back in the international circuit soon. For now, it looks like he will directly feature in the IPL 2024 for Mumbai Indians and will showcase his prowess for a spot in the T20 World Cup squad.

“Players work very hard to play the game at whatever level, so it’s incumbent on the media to get their facts right rather than speculate and spoil a young man’s name. Kishan is a rare talent, and Indian cricket lovers should back him to come back to scoring and entertaining us sooner rather than later,” Gavaskar wrote.

KL Rahul took the gloves in Ishan Kishan’s absence and performed the wicket-keeping duties in Tests for India in the Test series against South Africa. As per news reports, the management was not happy with Ishan missing the series and going to Dubai instead. The reports cited this as the main reason for Kishan being ignored from India’s T20I squad against Afghanistan.

Rahul Dravid, while addressing a press conference ahead of the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, had denied the rumours of a ‘disciplinary action’ against Ishan Kishan. He further added that the 25-year-old wicketkeeper-batter had not made himself available for selection after opting out of the series against the Proteas and hence was not selected for the T20I series against Afghanistan.

Also Read: Rinku Singh To Carry The Legacy Of MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh? Rahmanullah Gurbaz Gives Bold Verdict