Jitesh Sharma could well pip Ishan Kishan for the second wicketkeeper’s slot in the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian T20 team which will play three T20Is against Bangladesh starting October 6 in Gwalior. The squad is expected to be announced this week.
The second and third T20Is will be held in New Delhi and Hyderabad on October 9 and 12 respectively. With Rishabh Pant’s focus being 10 Tests this season, Sanju Samson will be India’s No. 1 glovesman in the shortest format for now with Jitesh from Vidarbha believed to be ahead of Kishan in the race for the second keeper’s slot.
Kishan’s selection in the Rest of India squad also means that his international comeback could be slightly delayed. With the Test series against New Zealand starting October 16 in Bengaluru, top players like Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, and Jasprit Bumrah are likely to be rested as a part of the workload management programme.
Some players could miss out as they will be part of the Irani Cup between the Rest of India and Mumbai in Lucknow from October 1 to 5. A lot of players, who played in Zimbabwe in the five-match T20I series in July this year, will get a look-in.
Abhishek Sharma, the hard-hitting Punjab left-hander, is set to be back in the mix in the absence of Shubman Gill. However, it remains unclear who will partner him at the top of the order if both Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are rested.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, the captain of the Rest of India team, is also in a tight spot as he will likely be busy with the Irani Cup until October 5, leaving little time before the Bangladesh T20Is begin. There is speculation that Jaiswal might play the first match, while Asian Games gold medalist Gaikwad could join the squad for the last two games.
Hardik Pandya is set to return to the national side, along with Shivam Dube. The likes of Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Tushar Deshpande and Ravi Bishnoi, all of whom, were part of the Zimbabwe series, are expected to be part of the squad. Harshit Rana who was in Zimbabwe as a backup pacer could also get a chance.
Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were both in India’s World Cup squad and featured for the country in international cricket across formats. Kishan was India’s first-choice keeper in white-ball cricket after Rishabh Pant met with an accident. Kishan had a golden chance to become India’s first-choice keeper in Tests as well with good show in South Africa. Alas, that didn’t happen.
Iyer played some of the best ODI innings of his life in the World Cup. He hit a hundred in the semifinal clash of the World Cup vs New Zealand. He was India’s No 5 fir the last one and a half years in Tests.
Today, these two cricketers have been declined annual contracts from BCCI? But why? What is their fault? What led to BCCI punishing them like this? Let’s take a look at how things panned out since World Cup last year.
Shreyas Iyer scored 530 runs in the 2023 World Cup and smashed a 70 ball hundred in the Semi Finals.
3 months later he’s not part of the BCCI Central Contract – really unfortunate for Shreyas to not make the list, hope he makes a strong comeback. ___ pic.twitter.com/R2HJAgo8zG — Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 28, 2024
It all started in December 2023 when Ishan requested BCCI for a break from cricket. This request came right before the Test series and Kishan was a part of the squad. His request was approved and Kishan returned to India. However, reports poured in after a few days that BCCI management was upset with him as Kishan was allegedly partying in Dubai. When the Ranji Trophy season began, Kishan skipped one match after the other for Jharkhand. This irked BCCI further.
Kishan was eventually not considered either in selection for Afghanistan T20Is and then England Tests. Rahul Dravid, speaking to the press before the T20Is, had said that Kishan is required to play some cricket for consideration for selection. At that point of time, he was unavailable for selection. Dravid’s statement was understood differently as many thought he was asking Kishan to play domestic cricket. Later, ahead of the Visakhapatnam Test, Dravid clarified his earlier statement, saying what he meant was that Kishan needed to play some cricket, not necessarily domestic cricket, to be considered for selection.
It must be noted that in the period from Kishan flying back to India and then appearing in Baroda in February, his social media was also inactive. It was not known where he was and what he was doing before a report emerged that he was practicing with Hardik and Krunal Pandya at the Kiran More’s academy. Kishan continued to miss the Ranji Trophy games and chose to focus on fitness training and is now playing the DY Patil T20 Tournament in Mumbai with Hardik Pandya.
Jay Shah, in his speech during the inauguration of the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, sent a strong message to all India cricketers, asking them to give domestic cricket their utmost priority.
“They (the players) have been informed on phone already and I’m going to write letters as well that if your chairman of selectors, your coach and your captain are asking for it then you will have to play red-ball cricket.” He made it official when he sent a mail to all the centrally contracted players.
As a result, when BCCI released the central contracts, we got to know that Shah was not merely sending a warning but he had indeed walked the talk.
What happened with Shreyas Iyer?
Shreyas Iyer’s case is entirely different from that of Kishan. Iyer, in fact, played a Ranji Trophy game for Mumbai before the England tour to get back among runs. BCCI’s release said that Iyer and Kishan were not ‘considered’ for contracts. It is kind of strange how the board has lost faith in Iyer so soon as he recently played two Tests for India against England. He did not make it to the squad for the last 3 Tests against England.
Dravid had categorically mentioned in the press conference that Iyer had missed out on the selection. There were no injury concerns but Iyer reportedly cited one as the reason for missing Mumbai’s quarterfinal clash. Later, National Cricket Academy’s medical team told BCCI that Iyer was totally fit and there was not even a niggle.
This act by Iyer must have pushed BCCI to take action against him. By dropping these two cricketers off the contracts list, the message is clear: play domestic cricket, give priority to red-ball cricket, and do not just focus on T20 cricket.
The BCCI are not very happy with some of their international stars deciding to skip the elite red-ball domestic tournament Ranji Trophy and putting all their focus on Indian Premier League. IPL 2024 is likely to start at the end of March. However, some players including Ishan Kishan decided to skip it and rather train in a private facility in Baroda to get ready for IPL. Kishan’s act has not gone down well with BCCI and the current team management.
The Jharkhand wicketkeeper and batter had left the team in December last year just before the away Test series vs South Africa. He was part of the Test squad and was set to play in the two Tests as well. When Kishan left, it was reported that he had requested BCCI for a break as he had been traveling non-stop with the team since Asia Cup. But since then, Kishan has not found his way back into the team.
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Reports started to come in about Kishan’s alleged indiscipline and poor attitude as his name did not feature in the T20Is vs Afghanistan at home. Back then, India head coach Rahul Dravid clarified to the press that Kishan needs to play domestic cricket to get his place back in the Indian team. Kishan was not available for selection, he had added. Despite Dravid’s statement, it was not confirmed whether Kishan was being dropped for his indiscipline.
BCCI was initially upset with Kishan for going to party in Dubai after saying he needed a break. Then, the batter began to snub Ranji Trophy and missed five matches for the home side Jharkhand. JSCA secretary was quoted as saying that Kishan had not reached out to them regarding his availability for Ranji Trophy match and that he would feature in XI as soon as he made himself available. But days later, Kishan was found training at Kiran More Academy in Baroda with Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya.
This act by Kishan has pushed BCCI to make it mandatory for national-level players to play in Ranji Trophy if they are not injured, recovering or on a break due to personal commitments. Players who are not currently part of the national squad or undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru received an email on Monday containing a directive. Effective immediately, they are required to join their respective state teams for the upcoming round of Ranji Trophy matches starting on February 16th.
Kishan is expected to play the next match for Jharkhand in Jamshedput against Rajasthan. Not to forget, some of the veterans like Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane are also playing Ranji Trophy. Prithvi Shaw joined Mumbai camp after recovering from knee injury and slammed a hundred too.
Might be safe to say that Ishan Kishan’s career is over and management has moved passed him. Amidst all this, real victim is Sanju Samson who was ignored all these years for Ishan despite being a dedicated athlete. — Himanshu Pareek (@Sports_Himanshu) February 10, 2024
This ruling by BCCI to instill discipline in players does not just limit to Kishan. Even Krunal Pandya and Deepak Chahar have not been playing Ranji Trophy matches despite being free from injuries.
According to a BCCI official familiar with the decision, “Players cannot simply prioritize international cricket or the IPL. They must make themselves available for domestic cricket and honor their commitments to their respective state teams.”
Clearly, this is a strong message from BCCI to Kishan and other players who needed this jolt. There are also reports that Kishan was not happy with Jitesh Sharma replacing him in the T20I XI against South Africa in December. Hopefully, some day, Kishan will come out with his own version of the recent developments but for now, he has been handed a lesson by BCCI and he must admit, it is for his own good.
Ishan Kishan has once again found himself in the spotlight without playing any cricket as a report suggests that BCCI are not happy with the players who are skipping Ranji Trophy due to the upcoming IPL season preparations. Kishan has been away from action since November last year after he withdrew from the South Africa tour mid-way in December due to mental fatigue, as per reports.
India’s head coach Rahul Dravid expressed frustration last week with the persistent inquiries about Ishan Kishan’s absence, emphasizing the importance of the player getting some game time before being considered for national selection. However, a recent report disclosed that Ishan has resumed training in Baroda, joining the Pandya brothers, Hardik and Krunal. (IND vs ENG 3rd Test: With Virat Kohli Unavailable, KL Rahul Doubtful; Sarfaraz Khan Set To Make India Debut – Report)
Interestingly, the young wicketkeeper-batsman chose not to make himself available for selection for Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy. Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan expressed his bewilderment about this decision on his official Twitter profile earlier this week. It appears that the board has also taken notice of this development.
According to a report from the Times of India, the BCCI is preparing to issue a notice to all players urging them to participate in the Ranji Trophy unless they are “injured.” A source cited by the newspaper added that some players are already in “IPL mode,” a stance not endorsed by the board. (Big Blow To England Ahead Of 3rd Test Vs India As Jack Leach Ruled Out Of Series Due To Injury IND Vs ENG)
That’s how Virat Kohli Supported Ishan Kishan when he was struggling to get form. He himself was going through bad patch at that time but still feel him like a younger brother.pic.twitter.com/QKna01eN8q Sayam Ahmad (@sayam_ahmad_) December 29, 2023
India head coach Rahul Dravid recently opened up on Ishan Kishan’s comeback and said that the 25-year-old needs to play some cricket to get included in the squad. While speaking at the post-match press conference after India’s 106-run win over England in the 2nd Test match, Dravid confirmed that the team management did not rule out Ishan from the squad.
The India head coach revealed that the wicketkeeper-batsman asked for a break, and that’s why the selectors did not include him in the squad for the first two Test matches against England.
He added that it’s the player’s choice to decide when he is ready to make a comeback.
“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 laboring about 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 as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
The former India skipper added that the team management is in touch with Ishan.
“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? So, at the moment , it’s not something that we would consider because, you know, he’s maybe not ready. He decides when he wants to be ready and we’ve got options obviously with Rishabh. [Pant] injured and stuff. So I’m sure the selectors will weigh all the options,” Dravid added.
The last time Ishan played for India was in the T20I format against Australia in Guwahati, following that he failed to make his place in the first eleven. The 25-year-old was in the T20I squad in South Africa in December 2023 but did not take part in any of the three games.
Last year, he played the role of wicketkeeper on India’s tour of the West Indies, but Ishan was not taken into consideration for the ongoing Test series against England. The youngster also did not take part in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.
In the second Test match, brilliant bowling spells from Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin helped India overcome a fighting England as they leveled the series with a 106-run win over England in Visakhapatnam. The hosts have leveled the five-match series 1-1. (With ANI inputs)
Ishan Kishan was missing from the cricketing action for over a month. But as per a report, he is currently training with Hardik and Krunal Pandya in Baroda.
India suffered another blow on Saturday ahead of the big World Cup match against New Zealand when middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav was hit by a ball on his right hand during the team’s net session on Saturday.
Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar was hit by a full toss ball from the team’s throwdown specialist Raghu, due to which he looked in a lot of pain.
Suryakumar Yadav
He was seen applying ‘ice pack’ on his hand and did not bat after that.
Suryakumar Yadav
According to team sources, Suryakumar’s injury is not very serious and he has not been taken for X-ray examination.
Hardik Pandya
However, this injury has raised questions over Suryakumar’s availability for Sunday’s match as the balance of the team is already disturbed due to the absence of Hardik Pandya.
Ishan Kishan
Hardik Pandya suffered a left ankle injury during India’s last match against Bangladesh. He has not come to Dharamshala with the team.
Ishan Kishan
Things became more difficult for India when left-handed wicketkeeper batsman Ishan Kishan was stung by a bee on the back of his neck while batting during net practice on Saturday.
Ishan Kishan
Kishan was among the first players to arrive for the net session. He batted for a long time. He was seen groaning in pain after a bee sting. He did not bat after this.
Sunday 8th October cricket world cup 2023 Before its opening match, the Indian cricket team is facing a big worry. India’s star batsman Shubman Gill is suspected to be suffering from dengue and his chances of playing in Sunday’s match against Australia are very slim. In case of Gill being out, Ishan Kishan can start the innings. Although KL Rahul Has also played the role of Team India’s opening batsman on many occasions. BCCI has not yet clarified anything about Gill’s illness. It has been said in BCCI’s medical update that his health is bad. The medical team is keeping a close eye on him. We are hoping that he will get better soon. We should wait for further updates from the medical team.
Rahul Dravid said this
India head coach Rahul Dravid provided more updates on the team’s swashbuckling opening batsman Shubman Gill. Dravid said during a press conference, ‘Today he is definitely feeling better. The medical team is monitoring on a daily basis. We have 36 hours and we will see what they decide.
Shubman Gill is suffering from high fever
Before their World Cup match, Dravid further said, ‘Gill is definitely feeling better today. The medical team has not yet taken him out. We will continue to monitor them every day. He will be monitored on a day-to-day basis and we will see how he feels the day after tomorrow. Gill, India’s most prolific batsman in ODIs in recent times, is reportedly suffering from high fever and was to be tested for dengue on Friday before a final decision on the matter is taken. However, it is not clear whether Gill is suffering from dengue.
BCCI did not confirm
News agency PTI quoted a BCCI source as saying that Shubman Gill has high fever after landing in Chennai. Their tests are being conducted. He will undergo tests on Friday and a decision will be taken on his participation in the opening game. The report also said that it has been learned that Gill is being tested again for dengue and if it is confirmed, he may miss some matches.
Gill may miss the opening match
It usually takes 7-10 days for any player to recover from dengue and become fit for the match. If there is a significant drop in platelet count, it may take longer. If Gill suffers from dengue, he will miss not only the matches against Australia but also against Afghanistan (October 11) and Pakistan (October 14). This will be a big blow for Team India.
Gill is in great form
The team management believes that it is too early to make any kind of speculation regarding Gill. If it is a normal fever then Gill will be fit to play in two days. For this reason the medical team is continuously monitoring him. If Gill is not in a position to play, he may be rested from the match against Australia. Gill has scored 1,200 runs this season. If he remains absent for a long time then it can be a big blow for the Indian team.
ICC world cup 2023 Before Saturday, Team India will face defending champion England in the first practice match in Guwahati. In this match, Indian bowlers will be able to assess their depth, because England’s batting lineup is very strong at the moment. Practice games do not have official status. Both teams can use as many players as they want and see how certain players react in specific match situations. However, no team would want to expose all its players or strategies by putting in full force during these games. Therefore, it would be premature to assess the ability of any team from the practice match. after England Rohit Sharma The team has to play the second practice match against Netherlands on October 3.
England’s batting lineup is very strong
Talking about the current World Cup champion England, this team has made huge changes in all formats in the last few years. The team has adopted an aggressive batting style, which has also been seen in Test cricket. The batting line-up of Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali can trouble any bowler. In such a situation, Indian bowlers can test themselves better.
The onus will be on the spinners
The entire responsibility will be on the spinners in the middle overs. It will be interesting to see how far Kuldeep Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are able to make a dent in England’s strong batting order. It also remains to be seen whether top players like captain Jos Buttler or the charismatic Ben Stokes will try their hardest to not give the Indian bowlers a chance to dominate them. The best thing about the England team is its batting depth.
Great performance by bowlers in Asia Cup
The arrival of Sam Curran at number eight and Chris Woakes, who led the victory against India by scoring a Test century at Lord’s at number nine, certainly tells a lot about the balance of the team. However, be it the Asia Cup or the recently concluded ODI series against Australia. Indian bowlers have performed amazingly. It was no small feat to all out Sri Lanka at the score of 50 in the Asia Cup final in its own home.
Ishan Kishan vs Shreyas Iyer
After the injury of Akshar Patel, the need for a left-handed batsman will be felt in the team. In such a situation, Ishan Kishan can be given preference over Shreyas Iyer. There is no doubt that Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill will be the opening pair. In such a situation, Kishan can come to the crease as a left-handed batsman in the middle order. In the presence of Virat Kohli, this will affect Iyer, because another left-handed batsman Ravindra Jadeja will be present in the team in the lower order.
Senior players can be given rest
An equation is also being formed that India can give rest to its senior players in the warm-up match. But in a team of 15 players only four players can rest. Even before this, India has fielded playing eleven with two wicket-keeper batsmen, KL Rahul and Kishan. However, head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma would like to face England with the original team, which will be seen on the field in most of the World Cup matches. Iyer needs more opportunities, which he can get in two practice matches.
Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
Captain to announce Indian team for Cricket World Cup 2023 on Tuesday Rohit Sharma and main selector Ajit Agarkar And the 15-member team included only two wicketkeeping options, Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul. Sanju Samson has not been given a chance in the team, the team combination will depend a lot on who the management includes in the final eleven. Kishan and Rahul benefit the team in different ways. Ishan Kishan played both of India’s matches in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 but with the return of KL Rahul, the competition is truly on. Today, in the match between India and Pakistan, KL Rahul has been given place in place of Shreyas Iyer.
Kishan got the benefit of Rahul’s absence
In the absence of Rahul in Asia Cup 2023, Kishan got the advantage of playing two matches. Ishaan made good use of the opportunity he got against Pakistan and played a brilliant inning of 82 runs in 81 balls. His innings pleased fans and experts and earned him praise. After playing as an opening batsman against West Indies, his presence at number 5 raised many questions. But he proved his critics wrong by playing a brilliant innings at this number also. In the match played with Nepal, Ishaan kept for more than 45 overs. He dropped a catch early in the game, but made up for it with some good efforts behind the stumps.
Rahul has not played a single match since IPL
Rahul has not played cricket since the Indian Premier League 2023. Rahul got injured in his leg while fielding, after which he stayed away from cricket. He also had leg surgery. However, he has proved his worth over time and his record at No. 5 makes him an attractive option for the selectors. With Rahul being a better wicketkeeper, he can play the role of an additional batsman to strengthen the batting order in the team.
Rishabh Pant has been out of the team for a long time due to injury.
Rishabh Pant has been out of the team for a long time after getting injured in a road accident, hence India is looking for a wicketkeeper batsman who can prove to be an explosive batting option with better wicketkeeping. Indian wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant is now slowly recovering after a car accident. Rishabh had undergone some surgeries including ligament. Pant was a victim of a car accident on 30 December 2022. Since then Pant is away from cricket. It is believed that he will soon make a full recovery and return to the team.
Ishaan proves to be ace of spades in times of need
If we talk about Ishaan, Ishaan has proved to be the ace of spades for India many times. Many times Ishaan has performed better in the middle order. Kishan had played a brilliant inning of 82 runs in the last India-Pakistan match. If needed, Ishan can also form an opening partnership with Rohit Sharma or Shubman Gill. He also provides India with the option of a left-handed batsman in the middle order.
