Ishan Kishan’s honest reaction on falling behind in competition with Pant, Samson, Dhruv

Even until mid-2023, Ishan Kishan was India’s primary-choice wicketkeeper-batter with both Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul nursing back from their respective injuries. He also made a place for himself on the Test side after an impressive show in the West Indies tour. However, by the end of November, Ishan found himself on the bench for the T20I series against Australia at home and then against South Africa, before he opted for a mental-health break in December.

Ishan returned to action in the DY Patil tournament in late February and was part of the IPL 2024 season as well, but he lost his Central Contract for not reporting for domestic-cricket duties after BCCI mandated that top cricketers be part of state cricket when not in action for the national side.

With India looking at a fresh start, especially in the shortest format, with the next T20 World Cup in 2026, BCCI’s selection committee roped in promising youngsters based on their performance from IPL 2024 for the five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe. It included Sanju Samson as well, with Dhruv Jurel and Jitesh Sharma as back-ups, but Ishan was ignored.

Speaking to Indian Express on Sunday, the Mumbai Indians star opened up on his India return after falling behind in the pecking order across formats.

“It was heartening to see Rishabh back in action. As far as competition goes, you love challenges and when you compete with all the quality cricketers, it enhances your game. And then when you make it you feel like you have earned it. I know it’s not going to be easy. But I feel competition gives you that feeling of satisfaction. I enjoy it. I don’t take any stress about it,” he said.

However, Ishan remains optimistic and hopes to play for India again in all the three formats. He added: “I see myself playing in all three formats. I have done well in T20Is, ODIs and Tests as well. I want to be part of all three formats.”

What’s next for Ishan Kishan?

Ishan may have been snubbed for the Zimbabwe series, but he could be considered for the tour of Sri Lanka, where India will play three T20Is and as many ODIs.

The left-hander reckons that rather than dwelling into missed opportunities, he wants to focus on the future as he eagerly awaits the beginning of the domestic season to prove his worth yet again and make his way back into the Indian side.

“Keep myself fit and prepare for upcoming tournaments. I am not thinking too much about the future. I want to stay in the present. At this point in time, I am only focussed on how to become a better and different player from what I was six months ago. I will work on a few innovative shots and on my wicket-keeping. These are the important things, rather than thinking about what happened in the past and what will happen in the future. I am waiting for the domestic season to kick off. I want to do well for Jharkhand and then let’s see,” he said.