The BCCI has taken heed to the absence of Ishan Kishan and is reportedly unhappy with the youngster skipping the ongoing Ranji Trophy.
Ishan Kishan, who last played for India in the T20I series in November against Australia, has been on a break, citing personal reasons, for more than two months.
Heads have turned after he also decided to skip the ongoing Ranji matches for his state, Jharkhand. He has reportedly been training in Baroda at the Kiran More Academy along with Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya. This even led to Irfan Pathan calling it “perplexing“. It feels that Kishan has decided to make his return straightaway in the IPL in March for the Mumbai Indians.
Now, according to a recent report in Times Of India, the BCCI source has revealed that the board is unhappy with “certain established India players’ attitude towards red ball cricket”. The board has decided to issue a notice to all players, including Ishan Kishan, that if they are fit, they are requested to be available for the Ranji Trophy matches.
“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 told TOI.
Jharkhand has only one match remaining in the Ranji Trophy. It starts on February 16 against Rajasthan, and Kishan has not yet been named in the squad. He is unlikely to appear in this fixture.
Ishan Kishan needs to play some cricket and come back: Rahul Dravid
India head coach Rahul Dravid has already made it clear that to be considered for selection, Ishan Kishan will need to play professional cricket, be it in domestic cricket or in the IPL, but a direct return without proving form isn’t a possibility.
“There’s a way back for anyone and everyone. It’s not that we rule out anybody from anything. 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 the 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,” Dravid said.
The IPL 2024 will provide the perfect platform for Kishan ahead of the T20 World Cup.
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