Ishan Kishan is reportedly gearing up for a return to competitive cricket after a two-month hiatus.During this break, Kishan has been training in Vadodara at the Reliance Cricket Stadium, alongside Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya, in preparation for his anticipated comeback.
Kishan's absence from recent cricketing engagements, including the Afghanistan series and the five-match Test against England, had sparked speculation and raised questions. However, those close to the player suggest that this break has been beneficial for him, allowing him to spend quality time with his family and rejuvenate himself mentally.
A report carried out by The Indian Express confirmed that Ishan had indeed asked for a break due to mental fatigue and is on the road to India comeback. For the last one month or so, Ishan has been training in Baroda with his Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya, but at the same time, he is spending time with his family that is helping him get back on his feet. The daily states that the reason Ishan has been in Vadodara for the last month or so is because he has rented a 2BHK flat where he is staying with his family.
He had never complained about it but the ODI World Cup final loss in Ahmedabad, like the billions in our country, has left him shattered. He wanted the break right after the tournament but was asked by the management to play and he did it without asking any questions. He tried to push his body and brain but mental fatigue caught up with him and it was only then that he requested a break," The Indian Express had quoted a source as saying.
The board is well aware of Ishan's condition and respects his decision. When asked about Ishan ahead of the India vs England Test series, India head coach Rahul Dravid had mentioned that the youngster needed to play some domestic cricket to make himself available for selection before making a U-turn right after the Visakhapatnam Test.
Later, as Ishan and another Indian cricketer Deepak Chahar did not play the Ranji Trophy game for their respective sides, the BCCI in a strict statement had pointed out how certain players are already in the 'IPL mindset' and that they need to realise that domestic cricket remains a 'critical yardstick for selection', all but leading to signal towards Ishan. This again, as the source clarified, couldn't be farther from the truth.
"Ishan has always given priority to the Ranji Trophy. In the 2022-23 season, he was constantly travelling with the Indian cricket team but despite the hectic schedule he played a couple of Ranji Trophy games, and scored a century against Kerala, which helped him earn a place in India’s Test team. All these accusations are just rubbish," it said.Ishan is close to ready to hit the ground running and could likely be making his comeback to professional cricket via the DY Patil T20 tournament so that he could be IPL ready.
