Shortly after guiding Jharkhand to its historic Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title, he went on to tell Sportstar that, “You fancy your chances a lot of times and when you don’t see your name, you just feel bad about it. So, I’m not in that zone anymore. I’m not expecting anything…”
But life gave him a pleasant surprise, as on Saturday, Ishan found his name in India’s 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup and the preceeding New Zealand series at home next month.
Not many imagined that Shubman Gill, who was the vice-captain of the team until the series against South Africa, would miss out. But after deliberations, the priority was given to combination over big names, and with the five-member panel wanting to ‘have a ‘keeper at the top’, Ishan was back in the reckoning.
Over the last weeks, four national selectors had a close look at the Jharkhand captain’s progress during the SMAT, and they seemed convinced that picking Ishan would sort the top-order issue.
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However, it needs to be seen whether he features in the playing eleven right from the start, or if the team management opts for the left-right combination and prefers Sanju Samson to open with Abhishek Sharma.
Whatever it is, picking Ishan, who hasn’t been part of the national team since 2023, certainly adds enough option in the top-order. “He (Ishan) bats at the top in white-ball cricket, and he’s been in good form. He played before for India. He wasn’t in the Indian team because there are Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant ahead of him. We felt a ‘keeper at the top gives us more solidity,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained.
Though Agarkar did not get into further details, it is understood that the national selectors were impressed with the way Ishan planned his innings throughout the SMAT, including his acceleration in the Powerplay. Taking on the additional responsibility of captaincy, Ishan maintained his aggressive style of play and enabled Jharkand to score the most number of runs in the first six overs.
Given the fact that India would play at home, these factors have had a role to play in the 27-year-old’s selection. With sources indicating that once the selectors were convinced that the opening combination was the only weak link, they monitored Ishan closely to understand how much his game has grown.
| Photo Credit:
B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM
Ishan Kishan (L) last played for India in T20Is in November 2023.
| Photo Credit:
B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM
And, as he ticked all the boxes, his place in the squad was sealed.
In the last edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Ishan donned the Sunrisers Hyderabad colours and scored 354 runs in 14 outings, while notching up his first IPL century (106 not out off 47 balls) against Rajasthan Royals in the first game, before a slump in form. He continued to put in the hard yards in the domestic circuit, putting himself back in contention with the national selectors.
Though he was ignored for the good part of the year, the selectors finally took a tough call and rewarded Ishan for his consistent performance.
Published on Dec 20, 2025
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