Fans criticized the selectors for excluding wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan from India‘s squad for the upcoming T20I series against England. On Saturday, January 11, the BCCI announced a 15-member squad for the five-match series, opting for Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel as the wicketkeeping options while overlooking Kishan.
The left-hander last represented India in November 2023 during the T20I series against Australia, where he impressed with two half-centuries in his final three innings.
However, the 26-year-old has not played a game since then and recently lost his central contract, reportedly due to non-compliance with the board’s directives regarding domestic cricket participation.
The Bihar-born cricketer has been putting in significant efforts in domestic cricket to earn a spot back in the Indian team. Kishan recently delivered a stunning performance, scoring 134 off 78 balls against Manipur in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, leading his team to chase down a target of 254 in just 28.3 overs.
In the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Kishan amassed 161 runs across six innings, averaging 32.20 with an impressive strike rate of 167.70, including one half-century. Over his T20I career, spanning 32 matches, he has scored 796 runs at an average of 25.67 and a strike rate of 124.37, with six half-centuries to his name.
The selectors chose Dhruv Jurel as the second wicketkeeping option, replacing Jitesh Sharma in the squad. Jurel has played two T20Is so far, scoring just six runs. Fans of Ishan Kishan expressed their displeasure over his exclusion and raised doubts about Jurel’s credentials as a T20I player.
India to Face England in Five T20Is Starting January 22
India is set to play five T20Is against England starting on January 22, followed by a three-match ODI series. Mohammed Shami has made his return to the Indian team after the 2023 ODI World Cup, marking his T20I comeback after more than two years.
India’s squad for T20I series against England: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel (vc), Harshit Rana, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wk)
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