Ishan Kishan refused Indian Cricket Board’s offer to play ongoing Test series vs England: Reports

India’s star cricketers, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, did not appear in the Indian Cricket Board’s yearly contracts since they had disregarded the board’s instructions to play in the current Ranji Trophy season on multiple occasions.

However, according to sources, it appears, though, that Ishan Kishan was given an opportunity at redemption by the management around the time Jay Shah, the secretary of the Indian Cricket Board, sent a letter to centrally contracted players expressing to them not to prioritise the IPL ahead of domestic cricket. However, star cricketer Dhruv Jurel then took full advantage of Ishan Kishan’s absence to deliver a brilliant performance in Ranchi and help India win the five-match Test series against England.

Notably, the 25-year-old cricketer was last seen in action during the T20I series against Australia, just after the ODI World Cup 2023. However, the left-handed batter reportedly cited mental health concerns for withdrawing from the tour in December while touring South Africa. Following that, the Southpaw was unavailable to play in the home T20I match against Afghanistan, which was the last and final preparation for the T20 World Cup 2024, which is slated to take place on June 1 in the West Indies and USA.

Team management had got in touch with Ishan Kishan during the ongoing Test series against England: Sources

Meanwhile, as a result, the management was reluctant to keep KL Rahul as their wicketkeeper-batter on fast pitches, and discussions concerning his potential return for the England Test series commenced.

According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, the Indian team management allowed Ishan to make apologies by offering him a spot in the Test squad for the series against England. The 25-year-old, however, turned it down, saying he wasn’t ready yet. The timing of the appeal is unknown in the report, but the Indian team probably made it after KL Rahul had been ruled out for the second Test match.

“ESPNCricinfo understands the team management had got in touch with him (Kishan) during the ongoing Test series against England, but Kishan said he was not ready yet,” read the report on the cricket website.