10 interesting facts about Ishan Kishan

Mahendra Singh Dhoni might be in the twilight of his career and wicket-keeping stocks in India are up again. For almost 15 years, Dhoni was almost the undisputed master behind the stumps. There is another Ranchi player waiting in the wings for his opportunity. Ishan Kishan might not be the first-choice replacement but he is one of the names that is circling around the Indian domestic circuit as far as wicket-keepers are concerned.

Kishan made a name for himself when he was the captain of the India Under-19 team in the World Cup in 2016. After a low-key tournament with the bat, Kishan made sure he worked his way up the ranks with some consistent performances and it reflected in his IPL contracts in the last couple of years.

Hence, with Dhoni tipped to retire after the World Cup later this year, the 20-year-old may well get the opportunity to make it to the national team.

Here the ten facts that one must know about Ishan Kishan:

1. Born on 18 July 1998

Ishan Kishan was born on the 18th of July in 1998 in Patna, Bihar. He wasn’t serious about cricket initially but his elder brother Raj Kishan helped him evolve into a professional cricketer. By profession, Ishan’s father Pranav Pandey is a builder who worked in Patna.

2. Left school for cricket

We’ve come across various cricketers who struggled in life and couldn’t cope up with multiple things. Ishan Kishan is one such example. The Patna-born player couldn’t maintain the balance between cricket and studies. Hence, he eventually had to give up school due to attendance shortage. He used to study in a well-reputed institution, Delhi Public School. But because of his hectic cricket schedule, he couldn’t cope up with both and thus, gave up studying.

3. School cricket

The Under-19 World Cup was not the only World Cup Ishan Kishan took part in. In fact, he was a part of a School World Cup when he was just seven years old. He was the captain of his school during that School World Cup in Aligarh. However, his team didn’t go a long way and were knocked out in the super eight stage.

4. The shift from Bihar to Jharkhand

Ishan grew up in Patna, Bihar and played quite a bit of cricket there. However, the dispute between the Bihar Cricket Association and the BCCI meant that the former lost its affiliation. Hence, to continue his cricketing career, Kishan had to move from Patna to Ranchi (Jharkhand). The left-hander went for the Under-19 trials in Ranchi and was picked right away.

5. Idolises MS Dhoni and Adam Gilchrist

Like every modern day wicket-keeper, Ishan Kishan has a couple of big and common names as his idols. Former Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist and former India skipper MS Dhoni are two players who he followed very closely.

6. Led India to the final of the Under-19 World Cup in 2016

India’s Under-19 teams have done really well in the Under-19 World Cups ever since the inception of the tournament. Ishan Kishan led one such side in 2016. That year India didn’t lift the title but went all the way till the final, only to lose against the Windies. With the bat, Kishan had a tournament to forget as he made just 73 runs in six innings. However, his captaincy was very good as India won every game barring the final in that World Cup.

7. A road accident which almost kept him out of the Under-19 World Cup

Off-field events and controversies are a part and parcel of a sportsperson’s life. But some recklessness can cause massive damage and something similar almost happened with Ishan Kishan. Just before the Under-19 World Cup in 2016, Kishan was involved in a road accident along with his father. His car, moving at a high speed hit an autorickshaw in Patna.

The then 17-year-old got into a fight with the people who were present at the accident. He was arrested after the incident as he was booked for reckless driving. However, he shrugged off this off-field controversy to lead India in the Under-19 World Cup a couple of weeks later in Bangladesh.

8. The whopping IPL deal

Ishan Kishan was bought by the Gujarat Lions (GL) ahead of the 2016 season for a sum of INR 35 lakhs. However, he didn’t have a great start to his IPL career. Across two seasons, the Jharkhand wicket-keeper played 16 games and scored 319 runs. However, in the 2018 auctions, Mumbai Indians broke the bank as they bought the left-handed wicket-keeper batsman for a stunning sum of INR 6.2 crores. In the 2018 IPL, he played every single game but was inconsistent. However, he showed glimpses of his talent and displayed what he could do.

9. 3rd youngest player to hit an IPL fifty

Ishan Kishan had a terrible start to his IPL career. He could muster a mere 42 runs in five innings in his debut season in 2016. In 2017, he constantly got starts but couldn’t convert them. However, in the final game of the group stages, Kishan became the third youngest player (fourth now) to score a fifty in the IPL. Opening the batting, the left-hander scored 61 off 40 balls as he gave Gujarat Lions a very good start alongside Dwayne Smith.

10. Holds the record for the highest individual score in Ranji Trophy by a Jharkhand player (273)

After a disappointing Under-19 World Cup campaign, Ishan Kishan hit his straps in the following Ranji season. He scored 799 runs at an average of 57.07. He scored a scintillating 273 in a game against Delhi that season. That was the highest score by a Jharkhand player in the history of Ranji Trophy cricket. Coming in at 80/4, Kishan dominated the Delhi attack as he struck 21 fours and 14 sixes in his 336-ball knock.

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