Amidst speculation surrounding his prolonged absence from competitive cricket, wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has been spotted fine-tuning his skills at the Reliance Stadium in Baroda.

According to a Cricbuzz report, the southpaw has been stationed in Baroda for the past couple of weeks and has been actively participating in training sessions at the Kiran More Academy.

Kishan has been training alongside Pandya brothers, Hardik and Krunal. In the upcoming IPL season, Hardik Pandya is set to lead Mumbai Indians - the franchise Kishan also plays for.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Kiran More confirmed that Ishan Kishan is indeed training at his academy but refrained from providing further details as the former India wicketkeeper was busy with the Mumbai Indians' Women's Premier League (WPL) team in Mumbai at the time.

Earlier this week, India head coach Rahul Dravid addressed queries on Kishan’s prolonged break from international cricket, reiterating that the 25-year-old will have to play some form of cricket to be considered for national selection.

Ishan Kishan was last seen in action during the home T20I series against Australia post the 2023 World Cup. He pulled out of the Test series in South Africa last December, citing personal reasons. Since then, the left-hander has neither been picked in the Indian squad nor made himself available for Jharkhand in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.

“There is way back for anyone and everyone. I don’t want to go on labouring about the Ishan Kishan point. Have tried to explain this as best as I can, the point was he had requested a break, we were happy to give him the break,” said Dravid in the post-match presser after India’s 106-run victory over England in the Vizag Test.

“Whenever he is ready, I didn’t say he has to play domestic cricket, I said whenever he is ready, he needs to play some cricket and come back. The choice is his. We are not forcing him to do anything,” he added.

Despite Dravid’s suggestion, Ishan Kishan has shown no inclination towards playing competitive cricket like Ranji Trophy. As per the report, he will not be part of his home state Jharkhand's Ranji game against Haryana in Jamshedpur from February 9.

With the BCCI all set to announce the Indian squad for the remaining three Tests against England in the coming days, it is highly unlikely that Kishan will be considered for selection.

(With Cricbuzz Inputs)