Ishan Kishan has not donned the Indian jersey since November last year. He requested time off during the South Africa tour early this year. After a lengthy break, he returned to the DY Patil tournament in February and played in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024).

However, Kishan was removed from the list of BCCI centrally contracted cricketers for not playing domestic cricket to be considered for the Indian team. This whole saga happened as the India coach Rahul Dravid and team management, including BCCI had asked Ishan Kishan to play for Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy, as they wanted to pick him for the England Test series at home.

However, Ishan Kishan didn’t communicate well to BCCI that he was not ready to come back to cricket and remained aloof. This led to the BCCI removing him and Shreyas Iyer, who was in the same boat as Kishan, from the central contracts list for 2023-24.

Meanwhile, in an interview with The Indian Express, Kishan opened up about his reasons to take a break from international cricket, and why he didn’t play for Jharkhand when asked by the BCCI. He also revealed that only his family supported him in tough times.

“I was scoring runs and then I found myself on the bench. These things do happen in a team sport. However, 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 a few close people no one understood that,” Kishan said.

He also revealed his family’s support to him when he was being criticized from all quarters.

“A sportsperson can deal with what people on the outside are saying. What stresses you out is how your parents are taking it. How they are dealing with it. When you get to know that they are equally affected, it hurts you and kills you from the inside. But then, my family members were very supportive. They backed me and my decisions. They understood that I was not feeling well. They understood my situation. They never questioned it but they rallied around me and never left me alone,” he added.

On being asked why he didn’t play for Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy, Kishan said that it didn’t make sense for him to play when he was on a mental health break.

“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 added.

Talking about his current frame of mind, Kishan said that he was looking forward to new challenges. He also talked about the return of Rishabh Pant and the emergence of Dhruv Jurel.

“I am in an excellent frame of mind. I’ve played in the IPL. I will be going to Mumbai, where I will continue to prepare for the upcoming season.

Keep myself fit and prepare for upcoming tournaments. I am not thinking too much about the future. I want to stay in the present. At this point, I am only focused on how to become a better and different player from what I was six months ago. I will work on a few innovative shots and my wicket-keeping. These are the important things, rather than thinking about what happened in the past and what will happen in the future. I am waiting for the domestic season to kick off. I want to do well for Jharkhand and then let’s see,” Kishan said on what’s next for him.

“It was heartening to see Rishabh back in action. As far as competition goes, you love challenges and when you compete with all the quality cricketers, it enhances your game. And then when you make it you feel like you have earned it. I know it’s not going to be easy. But I feel competition gives you that feeling of satisfaction. I enjoy it. I don’t take any stress about it.,” he added.

(Indian Express inputs)