Indian head coach Rahul Dravid quashed reports of disciplinary action against Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer ahead of the first T20I against Afghanistan. He said all the reports were false and cited why the batsmen were not picked in the team.
When the Indian team for the T20Is in Afghanistan was announced, the absence of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan caught attention. The duo were regularly part of the T20I set-up but the fact that they did not make the team led to a lot of speculation.
To make the case even worse, some reports suggested that Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were dropped from the team because the BCCI was not happy with them. It was learned that the governing body was dismissed from the campus for disciplinary reasons.
Ishan Kishan was reportedly sacked because the BCCI was not happy with his antics. Reports claimed that the wicketkeeper-batsman took a break from the South Africa Tests due to mental fatigue, but he was seen partying in Dubai and it did not go down well with the BCCI.
Furthermore, BCCI was also not happy because Ishan Kishan attended a television contest on KBC without their permission. This led to the governing body dropping him from the team and it was also learned that this could also hamper the wicketkeeper-batsman’s chances of making the squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
On the other hand, in Shreyas Iyer’s case, reports claimed that the BCCI was not surprised with his shot selection during the South Africa Tests and told him to play in the first round of the Ranji Trophy. However, the batsman did not agree and called for a break.
But Indian coach Rahul Dravid denied the false reports. Talking about Ishan Kishan, he said that the wicketkeeper-batsman has not made himself available for the selection that is why he was not selected.
Rahul Dravid stated that Ishan Kishan will play in the domestic circuit first before making himself available for the Indian team. Speaking to reporters, he explained:
“No, absolutely not (disciplinary issue). Ishan Kishan was not available for selection. Ishan requested a break, which we agreed to in South Africa. We support it. He has not yet made himself available. I don’t think it’s been made available yet. When he is available, he will play domestic cricket and be available for selection.”
IND vs AFG: There were too many batsmen in the team: Rahul Dravid explains why Shreyas Iyer was not picked
Rahul Dravid also spoke about why Shreyas Iyer was not picked in the Indian team for the T20Is in Afghanistan. He revealed that the team had too many batsmen and that’s why the batsman failed. He elaborated:
“Certainly, in the case of Shreyas Iyer, there is absolutely no disciplinary reason for his non-inclusion. It’s just that she missed it. There was a lot of hitting in the team. Shreyas missed it, he didn’t play the T20Is in South Africa, if you noticed. There are a lot of hitters and it’s not easy to fit them all in. Therefore, there is no disciplinary reason at all. At least I didn’t talk about those things with the selectors.”
The first T20I will be played between India and Afghanistan January 11 in Mohali. It remains to be seen what the Indian combination will be for the game. Rahul Dravid also mentioned that Virat Kohli will miss the first game due to personal reasons.
