The India cricket team’s squad for the 3-match IND vs AFG T20I series was announced earlier today. While Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma took away the limelight with their selection, people did not even notice that Ishan Kishan had been dropped from the last T20I series before the T20 World Cup 2024.
Just when it seemed like he was figuring it out in the shortest format of the game, the left-hander was dropped from the side.
But why was Ishan Kishan dropped? What did the southpaw do wrong—score two fifties in his last three matches?
Well, the truth is that Kishan did nothing wrong to miss out on the IND vs AFG T20I squad. It is nothing but being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
No place for Ishan Kishan in the IND vs AFG T20s & T20 World Cup 2024?
While some may feel it’s far-fetched, given that India vs Afghanistan is the last T20I series that Team India plays before the T20 World Cup 2024, Kishan might find himself missing out on the multi-nation event.
However, it isn’t Ishan Kishan’s performance that has seen him go unnoticed, but rather the inclusion of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Now, let’s be fair, the southpaw hasn’t lit the world on fire, far from it. His returns in T20Is have been nothing short of underwhelming, but it seemed like the 25-year-old had finally started to piece it all together.
But Kishan falls victim to his own making. The southpaw has made his mark as an excellent top-order batter, whether it be for the India cricket team or the Mumbai Indians. Of the 32 T20Is he’s played, 31 have come in the top three positions. However, that isn’t the only problem.
Despite Kohli and Rohit being seen as slow strikes compared to their young generation of Indian batters, Kishan has a worse record than both. As of now, he strikes under 125 while averaging a touch over 25.
So, with Kohli and Rohit returning and Suryakumar Yadav a permanent on 4, only one spot in the top order remains.
With both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill outperforming him, someone had to make way for the senior pros. And so, Kishan will not only miss the IND vs AFG T20I series but may also miss the T20 World Cup 2024.
Editors pick
