“Mere dimag me ye sab chal raha tha ki…”: Ishan Kishan on his break from international cricket and Ranji Trophy

Ishan Kishan, the dynamic wicketkeeper-batsman, has revealed the reasons behind his hiatus from both international cricket and the Ranji Trophy. Kishan last donned the Indian jersey in an international match against Australia in November 2023. Since then, his absence from the Indian cricket scene has raised many questions among fans and pundits alike.

Ishan Kishan explains Ranji Trophy absence and BCCI contract removal

Kishan’s decision not to participate in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season has further fuelled speculation, leading to his removal from the BCCI’s central contract list. In a candid statement, Kishan finally broke his silence, shedding light on his choice to step away from the game temporarily.

“I decided to take a break, and I believe it’s normal to do so,” Kishan stated in his recent interview to NDTV.

“There’s a rule that if you want to make a comeback, you must perform well in domestic cricket. However, for me, playing domestic cricket didn’t make sense at this point. I was not in the right frame of mind to play, and that’s why I chose to take a break from both international and domestic cricket. It wouldn’t have been logical to step down from international duties only to return immediately to domestic games. Fir toh mai international cricket hi khelta. (Then I could have continued playing for India),” he added.

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Kishan opens up about frustration over lack of playing time

Kishan also expressed his frustration with the limited opportunities he received to play for the Indian team despite his consistent performances. “I was disappointed with not getting enough time to play for Team India, despite performing well. It was a challenging and depressing period for me,” he admitted. “I don’t want to sugarcoat it—things were tough. You go through a lot of self-doubt and questioning. Mere dimag me ye sab chal raha tha ki yaar kya hoga gaya, kyu ho gaya, mere saath kyu (Questions like what happened, why me). All these thoughts crossed my mind, especially when I felt I was performing well.”