Ishan Kishan Makes Stunning Return to Team India After Dominant Domestic Season

The India team toured South Africa in December 2023. Wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan was one of the vital part of the Indian team at that time. Before the beginning of the test series, Ishan Kishan was left out of the team for indiscipline and was advised to continue domestic cricket. At that time, Ishan Kishan was a regular member of the Indian team in all formats of the game - Test matches, ODIs, and T20.

However, this decision came despite his good performances. After he got dropped from the team and the loss of his central contract, Ishan devoted himself completely to domstic cricket. For the last two years, he has been playing regularly for Jharkhand in all formats and has been performing miraculously. Recently, Ishan captained Jharkhand in the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) prestigious T20 tournament, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). Under his captaincy, Jharkhand won the tournament for the first time. In the final, Jharkhand defeated Haryana by 69 runs. Ishan played a brilliant innings of 101 runs off 49 balls, which proved to be the match-winning innings.

In the tournament, he scored a total of 517 runs in 10 innings, including two centuries and two half-centuries, becoming the tournament's top scorer. This strong performance earned him a place in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup 2025. This return was a surprise, as even Ishan himself was not expecting a place in the team.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir had long supported Shubman Gill. Despite his consistently poor performances, Gill was given opportunities in the team and was even appointed vice-captain. Meanwhile, in-form batsmen like Sanju Samson remained benched. Furthermore, several players who consistently performed well in domestic cricket were also denied a chance.

According to some media reports, selection committee members and former cricketers Rudra Pratap Singh and Pragyan Ojha insisted on Ishan Kishan's name in the meeting. Both wanted to prioritize players who performed well in domestic cricket. Ultimately, Agarkar was forced to make this difficult decision. Ishan Kishan was included in the team, replacing Shubman Gill. It's worth noting that RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha were also present in the final of the Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where Ishan Kishan scored a brilliant century to lead Jharkhand to the title.

Ishan Kishan's inclusion in the T20 World Cup highlights the importance of domestic cricket, and that excellent performance in domestic cricket paves the way for Team India. Ishan, who played his last T20I against Australia on November 28, 2023, has scored 796 runs in 32 innings of 32 T20Is, hitting 6 half-centuries.