"Ishan Kishan can't be picked for India”- Aakash Chopra

Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has backed India Head Coach Rahul Dravid’s opinions on Ishan Kishan. Dravid recently said that Ishan Kishan needs to play competitive cricket first to make himself available for the national team.

Aakash Chopra also feels that Ishan Kishan should play Ranji Trophy first so that he can prove that he is available to play for the Indian team. Notably, Ishan Kishan has been out of the field since the IND vs SA Test series last year.

The wicketkeeper batter took a break due to mental fatigue and opted out of the Test series against South Africa. As a result, wicketkeepers like Jitesh Sharma, Sanju Samson, and KS Bharat have filled his spot in recent series across three formats.

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Ishan Kishan needs to play Ranji Trophy, Feels Aakash Chopra

While speaking on his YouTube channel, former India opener Aakash Chopra agreed with Rahul Dravid’s comments that Ishan Kishan needs to make himself available first. Chopra also believes that the left-handed batter should play in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2023-24 if he wants to get picked for the Indian team.

“What Rahul has said is absolutely correct. Rahul Dravid has said that he should make available first and secondly, he needs to play some cricket, as he can’t be picked for India if he is not playing any cricket. If it had been the period of June-July, it would have been acceptable,” the 45-year-old said.

“However, the Ranji Trophy is happening at the moment, so if first-class cricket is happening, he needs to play there to show his availability. In fact, he has not even picked up the phone and told anyone that he is available,” Aakash Chopra further added.

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Jitesh Sharma was selected because India needed a middle-order batter: Aakash Chopra 

Recently, there were rumours that Ishan Kishan was not happy with selectors picking Jitesh Sharma as wicketkeeper in the national side. Sharma was part of the IND vs AUS T20I series in November last year alongside Kishan.

He also played a few games in the series as a wicketkeeper by replacing Kishan in the playing 11. Speaking on the matter, Aakash Chopra clarified that Jitesh Sharma was picked in T20Is to fill the middle-order slot.

“There was a rumour that he wasn’t happy with Jitesh Sharma’s selection. Firstly, Jitesh was selected because the Indian team needed a middle-order batter. Ishan Kishan is not giving an audition for No. 5 or No. 6 and he will not play at No. 5 or No. 6 in T20s. So only Jitesh will play there.” said Chorpa, who played 10 Tests for India in 2004-05.

“So I don’t think that should or would have been an issue. Let rumours be rumours. I won’t compare him with Sanju Samson at all because this Indian team wants to keep Ishan Kishan with great love. I don’t think he would be sulking,” the reputed commentator further added.

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Ishan Kishan is absent from the IND vs ENG series

Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan is also not part of the IND vs ENG Test series. Shockingly, he was also snubbed from the T20I series against Afghanistan last month. The left-handed batter was part of the Test series against West Indies in August last year, where he also made his Test debut.

Last year, the wicketkeeper batter also played for the Indian Team in crucial tournaments like the Asia Cup 2023 and ICC ODI World Cup 2023. However, ever since he took a break due to mental fatigue, he has vanished from the field. Recently, he was seen practising with Hardik Pandya in a viral video on social media.