Perform or perish. Ishan Kishan is well-rehearsed about the textbook stuff in Indian cricket. A lot has happened since Kishan last played for Team India in the international arena. At a time when pacer Deepak Chahar and premier batter Shreyas Iyer were missing in action, Kishan also remained absent from the Ranji Trophy after asking for a break midway through India’s tour of South Africa.
Following his sabbatical from international cricket, Kishan remained keen on training in Baroda with Hardik Pandya, who was unveiled as the new leader of the Mumbai Indians (MI) for the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2024. For Kishan, taking a break and not featuring in domestic games for Jharkhand was ‘normal’. Talking about his long absence from international cricket in a recent interview, Kishan revealed that he experienced travel fatigue.
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“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,” Kishan told The Indian Express.
Kishan turned up for IPL 2024 on time after missing games for Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah had warned players against prioritising IPL over domestic cricket. In the BCCI’s letter, the apex cricket board notified players that non-participation in domestic cricket would have severe implications.
“I took a break and I think it was normal. There is a rule that if you want to make a comeback you must perform in domestic cricket. It is as simple as that. Now, it was very different for me to play domestic cricket as it was not making any sense. I was not in a frame of mind to play and that is why I took a break from international cricket. It doesn’t make sense that you take a break from international cricket and then you go and play domestic matches. Fir toh aap international hi khelte (Then I could have continued playing for India),” Kishan explained.
In the build-up to the 2024 season of the IPL, Mumbai Indians superstar Kishan and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer were not picked by the BCCI in the central contracts list. Outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid asserted that Kishan was not available for selection in the England Test series, and the wicketkeeper-batter would have to feature in domestic cricket to stage a comeback. “I don’t want to be sad about anything. I’ll keep giving my best,” Kishan said when asked about losing his place, which was followed by BCCI’s central contact snub.
