Ishan Kishan | Source: X.com
Ishan Kishan has been out of action since opting out of the South Africa series midway through December 2023. He did not participate in the Afghanistan series in January 2024 and was not selected for the T20 World Cup squad.
Due to mental fatigue, he decided to take a break from the game and was consequently excluded from the BCCI’s central player contract in February. Jay Shah, BCCI Secretary, had urged the players to participate in domestic cricket, but Ishan chose not to follow it.
Now the Ranchi wicket-keeper batter has publicly addressed this situation. Here’s what he told the Indian Express:
“It was depressing. Today I don’t want to say that everything was fine. It was not easy for me at all. You go through a lot. Mere dimag mei ye sab chalta raha ki yaar kya hoga gaya, kyu ho gaya, mere saath kyu (Questions like what happened, why me). All these things happened when I was performing.”
“I was scoring runs and then I found myself on the bench. These things do happen in a team sport. But I experienced travel fatigue. It meant there was something wrong, I was not feeling well or right and so I decided to take a break. However, sadly, barring my family and few close people no one understood that,” he added.
Looking ahead, it remains to be seen whether Ishan Kishan can stage a return to the national cricket team, amidst stiff competition and numerous contenders vying for one spot.
