'Mere sath kyu': Ishan Kishan opens up on BCCI central contract snub, admits it was 'depressing'

‘Mere sath kyu’: Ishan Kishan opens up on BCCI central contract snub, admits it was ‘depressing’

Team India wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan admitted it was a depresisng feeling to be snubbed from BCCI's central contract list as he opened up on how he dealt with the difficult last few months.

Ishan Kishan opened up on being snubbed from BCCI central contract list. (Photo: Getty Images)

New Delhi: Team India wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan opened up on being snubbed from BCCI’s central contract list and revealed it was not easy to deal with the heartbreak which left him depressed. Kishan and star batter Shreyas Iyer were axed from the central contracts in February this year for failing to turn up for their state teams in domestic cricket.

Troubles started brewing for Kishan after he asked BCCI for a break during India’s tour of South Africa following the ODI World Cup last year. He was spotted celebrating his brother’s birthday in Dubai and pictures of the same went viral on social media. Following the incident there were rumours that BCCI was not happy with Kishan, who reportedly told the team management that he wanted the break to spend time with his family.

Kishan was later seen practising with his India and Mumbai Indians teammate Hardik Pandya in Ahmedabad while not turning up for his state team Jharkhand in domestic cricket. BCCI later released a diktat urging all cricketers to prioritise domestic cricket when not playing international cricket.

Both Iyer and Kishan paid a hefty price for not playing domestic cricket as they were both left out of BCCI’s central contract list. Iyer, who was reportedly recovering from an injury, did turn up for Mumbai after being snubbed but Kishan didn’t play for Jharkhand at all. Months ago both players were part of India’s ODI World Cup squad but were snubbed without any explanations from BCCI.

“It was depressing. Today I don’t want to say that everything was fine. It was not easy for me at all. You go through a lot. Mere dimag mey ye sab chalta raha ki yaar kya hoga gaya, kyu ho gaya, mere saath kyu (Questions like what happened, why me). All these things happened when I was performing,” Kishan told Indian Express opening up on the central contract snub.

Ishan Kishan reveals why he opted for a break

Kishan also revealed why he opted for a break midway through India’s tour of South Africa in 2023. Citing mental fatigue, the Indian wicket-keeper batter said he was not feeling right after being reduced to the bench and wanted a break. However, he admitted no one understood his situation barring his family.

“I was scoring runs and then I found myself on the bench. These things do happen in a team sport. But I experienced travel fatigue. It meant there was something wrong, I was not feeling well or right and so I decided to take a break. However, sadly, barring my family and few close people no one understood that,” Kishan added.

Kishan said he is aware the only way he can make a comeback for India is by doing well in domestic cricket. The young wicket-keeper batter is looking forward to playing for Jharkhand in the upcoming season and wants to do well to regain his spot in the Indian team.

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