Redemption arc complete as Ishan Kishan earns surprise World Cup call

Bengaluru: Even Ishan Kishan, who generally oozes a lot of confidence, must have been stung by disbelief when BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia announced his name in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup next year on Saturday. Out of the national side following a fallout with the team management during the 2023-24 tour of South Africa, the immensely talented but temperamental Kishan's career hit a crossroads.  

And when you lose your direction in Indian cricket, especially the way Kishan did by defying authorities, it’s hard to be found again given how overcrowded the space is. After pulling out of the South Africa tour in December 2023 citing ‘mental fatigue’, Kishan chose to skip domestic cricket despite the BCCI laying a huge emphasis on it for players seeking return to the national team. 

Worse, instead of playing competitive cricket, he opted to train on his own in Baroda. Such rebellious actions, for whatever reasons, seldom go unpunished and the 27-year-old was dropped from the BCCI’s central contract list in 2024, making his comeback that much more difficult.  

But the beauty about sports is it always offers hope for those who never give up and mend their ways. That’s the reason why comeback triumphs hold a special place in the fans’ hearts and are celebrated more. Kishan, who made his Jharkhand debut at the age of 16 in 2014 and captained the Indian team in the U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh two years later, believed in his cricket despite all the rumblings about his actions.

His bid to cancel the noise in the IPL in 2024 didn’t go as per plans as he could only manage 320 runs for Mumbai Indians, the franchise itself going through a crisis after replacing the immensely likeable Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as captain. He then started this year’s IPL on a rampage, smashing a 47-ball 106 not out in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s opening games versus Rajasthan Royals but he couldn’t sustain that charge, managing a total of 354 runs in 14 games.

While IPL performances can be rewarding, Kishan figured the only way back to the Indian team was if he could do wonders for his state side. And that’s exactly what he has done this year, leading Jharkhand to a maiden title triumph in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy in Pune on Thursday by smashing 517 runs in 10 innings at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 197. 

Kishan was determined to walk the talk. Apart from donning the gloves, he opened the batting and set the tempo throughout in typically blistering style. He then upped the ante in the final against Haryana, against whom he clobbered a 49-ball 101 to power his side to a mammoth 262/3 in 20 overs. And when Jharkhand sealed victory a couple of hours later, the joy was evident on Kishan’s face; this triumph was as significant as the two IPL winners’ medals he has with Mumbai Indians.

Spirituality has played a significant role in the turnaround of Kishan whose fondness for tattoos, diamond ear studs and flashy clothes is well known. But according to his father Pranav Pandey, the southpaw has found peace in the Bhagavad Gita. Verses from the sacred book gave him a new perspective during troubled times. 

“My mother told me to read the Gita,” Pandey was quoted by PTI. “So, I suggested that he read the Gita. She had told me if you are in a lot of tension, then you keep your question in your mind and open the Gita. Read the page that comes in front of you. You will get the answer to your question in that page, helping in dealing with the situation. I asked him (Kishan) to do the same. The Gita is always with him, and he keeps it in his box (kit bag). He carries a pocket version of the Gita wherever he goes. Whenever something happens, he opens it and reads it.”

Maybe this was the divine intervention he needed to set things right.

Just imagine, Kishan was nowhere in the picture. He last played for India in November 2023. Sanju Samson, the first-choice keeper and opener, had to make way for Shubhman Gill, who was also named vice-captain a couple of months ago. Then Jitesh Sharma was drafted in as the main keeper. Now both Gill and Jitesh failed to make the cut, while Kishan has got an unlikely call-up. Doesn't it sound like a miracle!

Ishan Kishan (centre) has literally gatecrashed his way into the Indian team for the T20 World Cup through blistering performances for champions Jharkhand in the just-concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.