His last appearance for India was in November 2023.
Ishan Kishan, at one point, was a regular feature in the India white-ball sides. A wicketkeeper-batter with high potential, he was looked at as one of the names that could dominate the Indian cricket scene in the years to come.
Kishan was part of the Under-19 World Cup in 2016, alongside Rishabh Pant. While the latter has had a pretty good career so far, things haven’t panned out as Kishan would have hoped for. He was supposed to be the future of Indian cricket, but now finds himself nowhere near the national team. So what has happened to a career that once looked extremely promising?
Ishan Kishan was one of those guys who made rapid strides through the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was a key part of the Mumbai Indians’ trophy-lifting campaign in 2020, which was also his breakout year. He smashed over 500 runs in that season at an average of 57 while striking at 145. Kishan earned a call-up to the T20I side on the back of it. An ODI call-up soon followed.
In December 2022, the pocket dynamo hit a stunning double century in an ODI against Bangladesh. He went on to play 17 matches in the following year and was part of the World Cup squad in 2023. He opened in two games before Shubman Gill made his return.
Following that tournament, India played a three-match T20I series against Australia. Kishan scored two fifties in that, but that turned out to be his last appearance in the Indian jersey. Later, he took a break from cricket to focus on mental health.
Several factors played a part in Kishan not finding a place in the team in the last couple of years. His returns being the major one. He played 32 T20 internationals, in which he averaged a touch above 25 and had a poor strike rate of 124. In this era of T20 cricket, these numbers just aren’t enough.
In the fifty-over format, he featured in 27 games, averaging 42 at a strike rate of 102. While these are decent numbers, India had Gill to open alongside Rohit Sharma. The middle order was also packed.
The rise of young players such as Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, and Abhishek Sharma meant that Kishan dropped down the pecking order in the shorter format. His game had some serious weaknesses, and his strike rate continued to go down.
The left-hand batter played two Tests for India, both coming on the tour of the West Indies in July 2023. He failed to make a big score and lost his place. The return of Rishabh Pant, and the rise of Dhruv Jurel and Narayan Jagadeesan, meant he has fallen at the back of the line here as well.
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The road back to the Indian team is filled with quite a few challenges for Ishan Kishan. He had a short stint with Nottinghamshire in the County Championship in June. He smashed 87 against Yorkshire and followed it up with 77 versus Somerset. He was expected to get a recall for the final Test in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, but an injury ruled him out of contention.
India currently have a rich depth in batting resources across three formats. The ODI and T20I sides are so packed that even someone like Jaiswal has to wait for his opportunity. A consistent performer like Sanju Samson had to move down the order in the T20I line-up.
Kishan is currently 27 years of age, but the Indian management has a plethora of options who are much younger and have a higher ceiling. As things stand, it looks extremely difficult for the Jharkhand keeper to get back into the national team.
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