IMAGE: Ishan Kishan last played for India in a T20 International against Australia in November last year. Photograph: BCCI
Wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan said he took a break from cricket during the tour of South Africa in December as he was not feeling well but claims that 'no one understood that'.
Kishan sought a break during the Indian team’s tour to South Africa citing mental fatigue after which he found himself out of favour. He was asked to play domestic cricket to prove his fitness and stake his claim for a place in the Indian team but he opted against playing for Jharkhand in Ranji Trophy, which saw him getting sidelined further.
Kishan made his competitive comeback at the DY Patil tournament in Mumbai in February before he played for Mumbai Indians in IPL.
He suffered a blow when BCCI left him out of the central contracts list after he ignored the Board's diktat of playing in domestic cricket when not on national duty.
Kishan, who holds the record for the fastest double century in ODIs, revealed that he was not in the right frame of mind to play, hence he didn't turn up for Jharkhand.
"I took a break and I think it was normal. There is a rule that if you want to make a comeback you must perform in domestic cricket. It is as simple as that. Now, it was very different for me to play domestic cricket as it was not making any sense. I was not in a frame of mind to play and that is why I took a break from international cricket," he told The Indian Express.
"It doesn’t make sense that you take a break from international
cricket and then you go and play domestic matches.
Fir toh aap international hi khelte (Then I could have continued playing for India)."
On his reasons for taking a break during the tour of South Africa, Kishan claimed that he found it difficult to accept the fact that he was benched despite scoring runs.
"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."
Not getting picked for the national team was a big setback for the young wicketkeeper-batter, who last played for India in a T20 International against Australia in November last year.
"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 has taken the setback in his stride and is now focussing on doing well for Jharkhand as he aims to make a comeback to the Indian team.
"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."
