Ahead of the T20I squad announcement of the Indian cricket team for the 3-match T20I series versus Afghanistan, the entire narrative was revolving around the position of veteran cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Ishan Kishan wasn’t even in the discussion.
The whole debate around whether Kohli and Rohit should feature in India’s shortest international format had ignited and several people had several opinions. But BCCI and the selection committee of India decided to stick to their old horses and choose the duo for the home series.
There were several notable names missing in the squad. KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer failed to find a spot in the squad. Whether Rahul was dropped or rested is uncertain but Iyer certainly was dropped as he is likely to play in Mumbai’s next Ranji Trophy 2023-24 fixture, which starts from 12th January 2024.
Now it is worth remembering that Ishan Kishan had opted out of the 2-match gruelling Test series versus South Africa, earlier this month and in the last week of December 2023. He sought permission from BCCI and returned to Indian on personal grounds. It was mostly fatigue since Ishan Kishan was part of every squad of India since the beginning of 2023.
As per a report in Bengali newspaper, Anandabazar Patrika, both Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were left out of the team because of discipline issues. While BCCI wasn’t happy with the fact that the left-handed batter was partying with MS Dhoni during New Year after ruling himself out of the Test series, Iyer’s shot selection was under the scanner in the Test series versus South Africa.
BCCI wanted Shreyas Iyer to go back to Ranji Trophy cricket and spend some time, playing red-ball cricket. He will once again get an opportunity to prove his credentials in this format in the Indian Premier League (IPL), when he captains Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Ishan Kishan has played 32 games for India so far in T20I cricket
Flamboyant batter Ishan Kishan is an extremely flexible and versatile cricketer. He can bat in any position and can also keep behind the wickets. He has played 32 matches for India in this format and has amassed 796 runs so far.
He plies his trade for 5-time IPL champions, Mumbai Indians (MI). Ishan plays an attacking brand of cricket and also has a double century in ODIs. Incidentally, his score of 210 against Bangladesh in 2022 is the highest debut century score.
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