Five times Ishan Kishan lost his spot in Indian team right after a solid performance | Cricket News

Ishan Kishan’s dropping from the series against Afghanan has turned into quite a controversial saga. As this newspaper has reported earlier Kishan was unhappy about not being given a break at several points over the last couple of months. It was after he was flown to South Africa that things came to a boil. As Kishan once again requested the team management to send him home, the BCCI withdrew him from the Test squad.
Those close to the player feel that the team management has been insensitive to the inevitable frustration that creeps into the minds of those who are constantly benched. On the other hand, there is talk about a feeling within the leadership group that Kishan wasn’t taking his non-selection in the right spirit.
Let us have a look at five instances where Kishan was dropped from the squad after solid performances
Top run-scorer in T20I series against South Africa in 2022
When South Africa toured India in the aftermath of the 2022 IPL for the five-match T20I series Ishan Kishan ended up as the top-scorer with 206 runs at an average of 41.20 and a strike rate of 150.36. However, subsequently, he was dropped from the side and Rishabh Pant was given the opening slot when India toured England after Kishan had a poor first game.
Double ton in Chattogram
The pocket-size dynamo came into the side in the third ODI against Bangladesh earlier in 2022 when Rohit Sharma suffered an injury. Ishan scored a magnificent double-hundred and seemed like he was going to make the opening slot in the ODI his own. However, in the series against New Zealand later Shubman Gill replaced Kishan.

Matured innings against Pakan in Asia Cup
India was in all sorts of trouble at 66-4 against Pakan in the group stage game against Pakan when the left-hander and Hardik Pandya got together and built a solid partnership under pressure to take India to a decent total. Kishan showed a lot of maturity in the innings and seemed like he had come leaps and bounds while he was warming the bench. with the lack of a left-hander in the middle order after scoring a sublime 82 he looked undroppable until KL Rahul was fit to play again.
Perfectly paced half-centuries against Australia
Post the World Cup India played a T20I series against Australia where the batter scored a couple of timely half-centuries coming in at three. He not only looked in good touch but also was pacing his innings to perfection. However, he scored a duck in the third T20I and was not part of the side after that.
The recent South African saga
Kishan was also part of the T20I squad in South Africa however, could not get a game. Jitesh Sharma got a look-in in the series and later for the red-ball leg, Kishan decided to take a break. Though this has come on the back of the player’s own choice it would have been hard to predict if Kishan would have played the red-ball leg with momentum building around KL Rahul needing to be the keeper-batter in the side despite Kishan doing a decent job both with gloves and bat in West Indies in 2023.