He may not be a part of India's squad for the upcoming Asia Cup but wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan is confident of making his way back into the side. The young stumper was absent from the 15-member squad announced for the competition earlier this week. Led by Rohit Sharma, India begin their campaign with a mouth-watering clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on August 28.
Ishan's last game in the 20-over format was against West Indies, where he scored 11 off 13 deliveries. Thus far in 2022, he has put on a consistent show with the bat, being India's second highest-run scorer in T20 cricket with 430 runs at an average of 30.71. The left-handed batter has notched up three half-centuries with a best individual score of 89.
The 24-year-old said that the Asia Cup snub will push him to work hard and score more runs. He remains “positive” despite the omission, which came as a surprise to many fans.
"I feel that what selectors do is fair. They put a lot of thought while selecting players as to who should be given the opportunity and where. It is a positive for me because if I am not selected, I will work harder and score more runs. When selectors will have confidence in me, they will obviously keep me in the team," Ishan told news agency ANI.
{{/usCountry}}"I feel that what selectors do is fair. They put a lot of thought while selecting players as to who should be given the opportunity and where. It is a positive for me because if I am not selected, I will work harder and score more runs. When selectors will have confidence in me, they will obviously keep me in the team," Ishan told news agency ANI.
{{/usCountry}}Ishan, who was bought for a whopping ₹15.5 crore at the IPL mega auction earlier this year, saw a mediocre season with Mumbai Indians. In 14 innings, he scored 418 runs at an average of 32.15 including three half-centuries, even though the five-time IPL champions finished at the bottom of the points table.
While Ishan was excluded from the Asia Cup squad, KL Rahul came in after a long injury break. The batter has missed competitive cricket since the IPL edition in May. Rahul underwent surgery for a hernia and was scheduled to play in the West Indies. But he was ruled out of the series after testing positive for Covid-19.
The Asia Cup will also see Virat Kohli's return after a brief break, while Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the competition because of a back injury. Harshal Patel will also miss the continental tournament in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
India, Pakistan and a qualifier will contest Group A in the Asia Cup. Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are in Group B. The first and second placed teams from each group will qualify for a Super 4 series, which is a round-robin to determine the two sides to meet in the final on September 11.