Ishan Kishan is under fire. The Jharkhand youngster is currently training at Kiran More Academy as he continues to ignore India head coach Rahul Dravid’s advice on playing in the Ranji Trophy. With KS Bharat struggling for form in the IND vs ENG Test series, Ishan had a great opportunity to make a case for himself. However, he has instead prioritised training after leaving India camp during the South Africa tour. But with T20 World Cup 2024 on the horizon, Ishan has not impressed the selectors.
Selectors and head coach Rahul Dravid sent a strong message to Ishan Kishan, saying he must play “some cricket” before being eligible for selection. But as things stand, he is not playing in the Jharkhand vs Haryana match starting Feb 9.
Dravid unhappy with Ishan Kishan?
Not every day Rahul Dravid says something explosive. But his post-match press conference after IND vs ENG 2nd Test was anything but. There was no diplomatic Dravid. Instead, he cleared things to the media that Isha needs to play domestic or IPL 2024 to be considered for selection.
“There’s a way back for anyone and everyone. I just don’t want to go on labouring the Ishan Kishan point. I’ve 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 a break and whenever he was ready. I didn’t say he has to play domestic cricket. I said, whenever he’s ready, he needs to play some cricket and come back, and the choice is his. We’re not forcing him to do anything, and we are in touch with him. It’s not that we’re not in touch. We know what it is, but he hasn’t yet started playing, right?” Dravid said.
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Even though Rahul Dravid said it’s not mandatory to play domestic cricket, that’s the only form of competitive cricket Ishan can play. And Ranji Trophy is the only tournament that’s ongoing at the moment before IPL 2024. Hence, the interpretation is clear. Ishan Kishan has to play in Ranji Trophy.
However, the Jharkhand State Cricket Association is still unclear. JSCA does not know when he will play. In doing so, he is following MS Dhoni’s footsteps. The former India captain too ignored the selectors’ call to play domestic cricket.
“We don’t know what his current status is. We were expecting him to play Ranji Trophy matches for Jharkhand, but never received a call or any communication from him. I read Rahul Dravid’s statement that the senior team management has asked him to play some sort of cricket before playing for India again. Only the Ranji Trophy is going on, so the message is clear. If you have to ask me, Ishan should have played a couple of Ranji matches,” a senior JSCA official told RevSportz.
Clash of ego?
There is defiance from Ishan Kishan. After playing only two matches in the ODI World Cup, Ishan was benched for Jitesh Sharma during the T20I series against South Africa. As per a RevSportz report, Ishan was unhappy with Jitesh Sharma’s selection over him. And that’s why he chose to leave the India camp.
However, a senior BCCI official expectedly denied the rumours, saying the India team management is in fact in touch with Ishan.
“It’s not that Ishan is missing. He is a centrally contracted player and the NCA is aware of his whereabouts. The team management has a plan for him to return. he has to follow that. As far as his unhappiness is concerned, all are speculation. Every player understands his job and there is no team atmosphere where someone is unhappy when another one is selected. Ishan has played over Sanju in the past,” the senior BCCI official told InsideSport.
However, it’s clear that by choosing to ignore the selectors’ and the head coach’s advice, Ishan Kishan is not doing himself any favour. He is not injured either.
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