Ishan Kishan in action (Courtesy: Mumbai Indians)Dismissing all the speculations around Ishan Kishan, a source close to the Indian Express revealed that the wicket-keeper batter was left shattered after the 2023 ODI World Cup Final loss against Australia and wanted a break. Incidentally, Kishan had participated in the first two matches of the tournament as a forced change after opener Shubman Gill was sidelined due to dengue. He was not picked up in the playing XI after Gill returned to the squad.
“He had never complained about it but the ODI World Cup final loss in Ahmedabad, like the billions in our country, has left him shattered. He wanted the break right after the tournament but was asked by the management to play and he did it without asking any questions. He tried to push his body and brain but mental fatigue caught up with him and it was only then that he requested a break,” the Indian Express quoted a source as saying.
Amid the large speculations about Ishan Kishan’s ouster from the Indian cricket team, the wicketkeeper batter was spotted training at the Kiran More Academy in Baroda. It has been speculated that Kishan was not picked up on the side due to disciplinary reasons. However, there can be no questions asked about his attitude and commitment toward the game as he has been training with the Pandya brothers at the Reliance Cricket Stadium. It is also an indication of his return to professional cricket in the IPL 2024.
Kishan will be playing under the newly appointed Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya in the IPL 2024 and training with him will only boost their camaraderie while being away from the national team setup. Pandya has trained at the Kiran More Academy since his childhood days, which is a popular arena to train for the players from Gujarat.
The wicketkeeper batter has been out of favor from the national team since November, last year. He departed from the Indian team set up in December and since then has not featured in professional cricket. Team India head coach Rahul Dravid had advised him to participate in competitive cricket if he aims to make a return to the national side but there has been no signs of that.