India’s wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has shared insights into his decision to take a break from worldwide cricket, which in the long run brought his exclusion from the team. Kishan represented India in the 3rd T20I of a 5-match series against Australia in November 2023. He was named within the squad for the South Africa tour but he withdrew from the Test series due to personal reasons.
Following this quick series, Kishan also decided to opt out of the Ranji Trophy matches, which resulted in BCCI removing him from the central contracts. Rahul Dravid, the head coach of India then, suggested to Kishan that a return to the team could be by performing in the domestic and Ranji matches. Kishan’s decision to forego home cricket caused a huge grievance. Kishan disclosed that he was not in the right state of mind to play in the Ranji Trophy at that time.
Additionally, Kishan expressed his frustration at not getting enough playing time with the Indian team no matter his performance. After missing the South Africa tour and the Ranji Trophy, Kishan made his comeback all through the Indian Premier League earlier this year. However, his overall performance did not go well with him scoring just 320 runs in 14 innings, averaging 22.85 with a strike charge of 148.83.
Ishan Kishan is not a part of the Indian team now
Ishan Kishan said: “I took a break and I think it was normal. There is a rule that if you want to make a comeback you must perform in domestic cricket. It is as simple as that. Now, it was very different for me to play domestic cricket as it was not making any sense. I was not in a frame of mind to play and that is why I took a break from international cricket. It doesn’t make sense that you take a break from international cricket and then you go and play domestic matches. Fir toh aap international hi khelte (Then I could have continued playing for India).”
He added: “It was depressing. Today I don’t want to say that everything was fine. It was not easy for me at all. You go through a lot. Mere dimag mey ye sab chalta raha ki yaar kya hoga gaya, kyu ho gaya, mere saath kyu (Questions like what happened, why me). All these things happened when I was performing.”
Consequently, Kishan was no longer considered for selection for the T20 World Cup, with the team management choosing Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson as the 2 wicketkeepers instead.
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