Ishan Kishan, a promising wicketkeeper-batsman for Team India, has been unavailable for selection since December of the previous year. The cricketer withdrew from the South Africa tour midway in the following month, citing mental fatigue as the reason for his absence. Recently, there have been widespread speculations and questions regarding his availability, drawing attention from the cricket community.
India’s head coach, Rahul Dravid, expressed his dissatisfaction with repeated questions about Ishan Kishan’s status and emphasized the importance of the player participating in some cricket before making a return to the national team. Despite this, Ishan has returned to training alongside the Pandya brothers, Hardik and Krunal, in Baroda. However, it’s worth noting that Ishan chose not to make himself available for selection in the Ranji Trophy while training.
The situation has raised eyebrows, with former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan expressing perplexity about Ishan’s unavailability on his official Twitter profile. It appears that the cricket board has also taken notice of the matter.
According to reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly planning to issue a notice directing all players to participate in the Ranji Trophy unless they are genuinely “injured.” The source behind this information mentioned that certain players are already in “IPL mode,” and this approach is not well-received by the board. The move indicates the BCCI’s emphasis on prioritizing domestic cricket, specifically the prestigious Ranji Trophy, and discouraging players from shifting their focus to other formats or leagues, such as the Indian Premier League (IPL), at the expense of the domestic competition.
“In the next few days, all the players will be communicated by the BCCI to play for their state team in the Ranji Trophy, as long as they are not on national duty, with only those who are unfit and recovering at the NCA being granted an exemption. The Board isn’t too happy with certain players already in IPL mode from January,” the source.
In contrast, Hardik Pandya, who is recovering from an injury sustained during the 2023 World Cup match against Bangladesh, is expected to return during the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he will captain the Mumbai Indians.
Amidst these developments, Team India is currently engaged in a five-match Test series against England, marking their last assignment before the T20 World Cup in June. The recent squad announcement for the remaining three Tests saw the continued absence of Virat Kohli due to personal reasons, while KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja returned to the squad after recovering from injuries in the second Test. The circumstances surrounding Ishan Kishan’s absence continue to be a subject of interest and speculation in the cricketing community.
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