His last update was when he requested permission from the BCCI to depart the Indian team during the South Africa tour due to personal reasons.
An air of ambiguity surrounds India’s wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan who has seemingly vanished from the national scene since India’s World Cup campaign last October. Ishan was a regular in the India setup across all formats (two Tests, 27 ODIs, 32 T20Is), specializing in white-ball cricket, especially T20s.
His last update was when he requested permission from the BCCI to depart the Indian team during the South Africa tour due to personal reasons, leading to his removal from the Test squad.
In light of Kishan’s exclusion from the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, national selectors have preferred Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson for the wicketkeeper’s role over Ishan. KL Rahul has now assumed the primary wicketkeeping role in Test and ODI teams.
Since the squad announcement by the BCCI on Sunday night, speculation has been rampant regarding the reasons behind his omission. One theory suggests disciplinary action for attending a television show without permission, though insiders dismiss this claim. Another theory suggests that Kishan has yet to inform the BCCI about his availability after leaving the team in South Africa on December 17.
The lack of an official reason for his non-selection intensifies the curiosity surrounding the situation, and the BCCI has made no effort to dispel speculation. Reportedly in India, Kishan remains unreachable, with even some of his Jharkhand teammates unable to contact him. The BCCI or selectors could easily verify the duration of his ‘leave’ if they truly intended to include him in the team.
The 25-year-old keeper-batter opted not to participate in the Ranji Trophy first-round game against Saurashtra, concluding on Monday. State association officials informed Cricbuzz that they plan to communicate with Kishan and decide on his selection by Tuesday evening.
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He was also not part of the ODI squad in South Africa, similar to other members of the World Cup team.
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