'No, Ishan hasn't contacted us' - JSCA Secy on Ishan Kishan's Ranji Trophy inclusion

Ishan Kishan is currently unavailable for Indian team, as he decided to take a break from featuring in recent series, citing mental fatigue reasons. Soon after, the wicketkeeper-batter saw controversies come his way after people criticized him for featuring on 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' — a TV reality show, and also his holiday pictures from Dubai went viral on social media, while missing out on key series against South Africa and Afghanistan.

Amid this row, there were reports of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials being unhappy with disciplinary issues of the southpaw. However, head coach Rahul Dravid, while addressing the press, remarked the reports as baseless, and confirmed that Kishan hasn't made himself available after the informed holdup to play for the Indian team, which is the actual reason why he wasn't picked in the squad(s).

Additionally, Dravid also revealed that if Kishan makes himself available, he will be playing domestic matches for his state Jharkhand in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024 before walking in to the Indian team. All the same, Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) Secretary Debasis Chakraborty gave key information on the Bihar-born's inclusion in the current domestic season.

According to India Today, JSCA Secy said that the cricketer hasn't yet contacted the board regarding his availability to feature in Ranji games. On the contrary, Chakraborty also ensured that Ishan will pick himself straight into the Playing XI, once he makes himself available. “No, Ishan hasn’t contacted us or told us anything about his availability. Whenever he tells us, he will walk into the playing XI,” he revealed on Thursday, January 11.

It is worth mentioning that Jharkhand are currently playing a game against Maharashtra, with Day 1 already commenced in Pune, while Ishan isn't a part of the announced setup. Jharkhand will play one more against Services in Delhi, before the England tour of India gets underway, with the first Test set to be played in Hyderabad starting January 25. Thus, it will be interesting to see if the 25-year-old will make himself ready to dispose his national duties, and even if he does, whether he will be picked in the squad, which is currently awaited.