BCCI official tells Ishan Kishan to play Jharkhand’s final Ranji Trophy league game, days after Dravid’s clarification
Ishan Kishan took a vacation in the middle of the South Africa tour, allegedly because of mental health concerns. He hasn’t played for India since November of last year.
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The BCCI official reportedly told the wicketkeeper-batter that Ishan Kishan “needs to play some cricket,” not necessarily domestic cricket, to get back into the Indian squad, regardless of the format. This comes days after India head coach Rahul Dravid emphasized that Kishan “needs to play some cricket.”
Ishan hasn’t represented India since November of last year. He took a vacation during the tour of South Africa, allegedly because he was mentally exhausted.
For the second time in more than 30 days, Dravid was questioned over Ishan’s potential return earlier this month, following India’s victory over England in the second Test in Visakhapatnam to tie the five-match series. “I told him he needed to play some cricket and return whenever he was ready, not that he had to play domestic cricket. He gets to make the decision. He’s not being forced to do anything by us,” he declared. “We are in touch with him, it is not that we have not been in touch.”
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In an attempt to get Ishan back on the Indian team, Dravid had emphasized twice already how important it was for him to have some playing time. Despite his state team’s poor performance in Group A, the 25-year-old has not been eager to play in the current Ranji Trophy season. Instead, Ishan was seen working out in Baroda with Hardik Pandya, the recently declared captain of the Mumbai Indians. The decision infuriated BCCI officials, who believe Ishan has been more preoccupied with IPL 2024 than with the domestic first-class tournament.
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Following talks within the BCCI to mandate a minimum number of Ranji Trophy matches for each player to qualify for the IPL’s auction pool, a PTI report disclosed that Ishan was directed by board officials to participate in Jharkhand’s last league match of the current Ranji Trophy season, which kicks off on February 16 at Jamshedpur’s Keenan Stadium.
Ishan’s only remaining chance to play will be at the Ranji Trophy match; he may play again in the 2024 Indian Premier League for the Mumbai Indians. Between March 11 and the beginning of the IPL, even the Indian team—which is currently playing England at home in a Test series—will be idle.