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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday, 7th January announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. While the squad had a few surprises in terms of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s return to the shortest format; KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan among others missed a spot in the squad seeing the T20 World Cup 2024 ahead.
Also Read: BCCI announces India squad for three-match T20I series against Afghanistan
The young Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who was part of the side for the South Africa tour, had later pulled out of the series, citing “personal reasons”. But with the BCCI making the squad announcement, he is yet to make himself available for selection. Moreover, according to a PTI report, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is already “looking beyond Ishan” in the T20 format.
“Ishan wasn’t happy that he was travelling without much game time. He is on a break right now and is vacationing. In any case, selectors are in all likelihood are looking beyond Kishan. It will be interesting if he is picked for the England Test series where KS Bharat will be back behind the stumps,” the BCCI source informed PTI.
These claims emerge as a shocking news since Ishan Kishan was a key member in the T20 scheme of things with his left-handed presence in the Indian middle order. Moreover, the BCCI has named Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson as the two wicketkeeping options for the upcoming series.
It is to be further seen if Kishan will be included in the Test squad for the five-match Test series against England with KL Rahul and KS Bharat as the two prospects in the longest format.
