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Ishan Kishan celebrates after scoring a century vs Haryana in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy final. (Screengrab: BCCI Domestic X)
Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth heaped praise on Jharkhand wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan who bolted back into the reckoning after two years as India’s back-up wicket-keeper for the T20 World Cup 2026 title defence. On Saturday, Kishan made a surprise entry into the 15-man squad unveiled at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai by secretary Devajit Saikia, chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and captain Suryakumar Yadav.
Despite leading Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali title with a record 517 runs and a final-winning century, Kishan haf found himself on the outside looking in. With the likes of Samson, Jitesh Sharma, and a returning Rishabh Pant clogging the wicketkeeper-batsman slots, he remained an underdog for a spot in the national side. However, when the selectors sat down to deliberate their combinations for the World Cup and settle on a top-order wicket-keeper in Samson, the back-up cut naturally shifted to the in-form Kishan.
Srikkanth lauded Kishan’s comeback as an excellent decision from the selectors, even if it has come at the expense of Shubman Gill, who was until recently the vice-captain of the side, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has had limited opportunities in the format despite being a member of the World Cup-winning squad in 2024.
“Yashasvi Jaiswal, I feel bad for him. He was unlucky, but Ishan Kishan doubles up as a wicketkeeper and opening batsman. That’s where he scores over Jitesh Sharma and Gill and Jaiswal. Ishan Kishan is also an outstanding cricketer. When he gets going, he just gets going. Ishan Kishan’s selection is fantastic,” said Srikkanth on his YouTube Channel.
“The selectors have looked into domestic cricket. Kishan has come in by sheer virtue of scores and performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The plus point is that he only scored runs, but ensured that his team won. Very happy for Kishan. He hit a double hundred and was in the World Cup team as well, but then just disappeared,” he added.
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