Former South African cricketing icon AB de Villiers recently addressed the absence of Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan from international cricket, drawing from his own experiences. De Villiers stressed the importance of clear communication between players and team management or boards during such periods.
Kishan, who last played a T20I match against Australia in November, requested time off during the South Africa Test series due to personal reasons and was absent from subsequent matches, including the ongoing Ranji Trophy. Indian head coach Rahul Dravid mentioned that Kishan would need to play cricket to make a comeback, revealing that the player had requested a break, leading to his exclusion from the Test squad against England.
Rahul Dravid said: “There is a way back for anyone and everyone. It is not that we rule out anybody from anything. I just do not want to go on labouring about the Ishan Kishan point. I have tried to explain it as best as I can. The point was that, you know, he requested a break. We were happy to give him the break and whenever he was ready… I did not say he has to play domestic cricket. I said, whenever he is ready he needs to play some cricket and come back, and the choice is his.”
De Villiers, speaking on a YouTube channel, acknowledged the complexity of the situation, highlighting how players navigate their careers and sometimes experience fatigue or withdrawal, which is natural. While he refrained from judging Kishan’s decision, de Villiers emphasized the necessity of effective management between players and the team.
AB de Villiers said: “Very interesting scenario there in India and I have been through this quite a bit throughout my career as well. It is a very tricky situation. Players trying to manage their careers, and rightfully so, but the difficulty around this is that there are a lot of T20 leagues around the world, IPL, and it’s taking up a lot of attention…of the player’s focus is on that.”
“Very difficult because the ultimate format of the game is still Test cricket and all Test-playing nations really wanna look after the Test format, so there is a bit of force in all kinds of directions here.”
Overall, his remarks underscored the challenges athletes face in managing their professional and personal demands, advocating for understanding and cooperation between players and management.
He further added: “Guys, you do run out of energy, and once you run out of energy, you tend to go in your defensive mode and into a shell where you look after what you feel is important to you, and that’s a human reaction…
“So, whether Ishan is doing it wrong or other players are doing it right or wrong, I do not know but what needs to happen is proper communication. So, the players know exactly what, not only proper communication but proper and regular communication.”
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