Ishan Kishan yet to make himself available for Jharkhand in Ranji Trophy after Rahul Dravid’s advice: Report

After opting for a mental health break, Ishan Kishan has now been asked to go back to the Ranji Trophy to prove his fitness ahead of another action-packed cricketer calendar for the Indian team. Ishan, who recently cited mental fatigue, had been part of a continuous stretch of tours, including the West Indies, Asia Cup, ODI World Cup, T20I series against Australia and the South Africa series last year. Even as he remains absent from the side, his replacements have been impressive. Sanju Samson stepped up with a match-winning century in the series against South Africa.

KL Rahul too has assumed the wicketkeeping role in Tests and showcased his prowess with a fine century in Centurion against the Proteas. India head coach Rahul Dravid has said that Ishan may have to go back to the domestic circuit to regain his place in the Indian team.

Read | ‘Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer not dropped due to disciplinary issues’: Dravid

Ishan, however, is understood to have not yet expressed his availability for selection to his state team- Jharkhand. The Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) secretary Debasish Chakraborty told PTI, “No, Ishan hasn’t contacted or told us anything about his availability. Whenever he tells us, he will walk into the playing XI.”

Even in T20Is, the Indian team have been giving opportunities to Jitesh Sharma as a finisher and he has been doing his job successfully. He was excellent in the series against Australia and continued his form in the first T20I against Afghanistan where he produced a 31-run innings having faced 20 deliveries, playing a crucial role in India’s successful chase of a 159-run target in Mohali. He has been impressive as a wicketkeeper too and has certainly put his name up for this format.

Team India already also have plenty of top-order options in T20I cricket. With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returning to the fold, it will be interesting to see how Ishan fits into the scheme of things, since Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Tilal Varma have all been fairly consistent at the top of the order.

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