'Where is Ishan Kishan? Any news on his availability?' - Aakash Chopra fires selection question post India's squad announcement

Keeper-batter Ishan Kishan opted out of the two-match Test series against South Africa, citing ‘personal reasons’. The southpaw is yet to make himself available for selection as he is not part of the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. As per reports, the Ranchi-born cricketer took a break from the sport due to ‘mental fatigue’ but the cricketer or the selectors are yet to comment on the same.

Meanwhile, former India international Aakash Chopra questioned Kishan’s availability, given that the opener was regular in the T20I squad. He also criticised the selectors for not being consistent with the selections, as Shreyas Iyer, who was the vice-caption for the series against Australia, failed to make it to the squad against Afghanistan while Shivam Dube only gets picked in home matches, as he was ignored for the South Africa tour.

“Iyer was nominated as the Vice-Captain for the 5-match T20I series vs Australia. Was a part of the squad against SA too. Now, finds no place in the team vs Afghanistan. Dubey was in the squad vs Aus at home. Wasn’t picked for SA. Back in the team vs AFG. Also, where is Ishan Kishen? Any news on his availability?” Chopra tweeted.

KL Rahul is another significant cricketer who will miss the T20I series against Afghanistan. He played his last T20I game against England in the T20 World Cup 2022 and after which, he was dropped from the squad. Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson are preferred as the keeper-batters for the series, which is slated to begin on January 11.

On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have been given a break to remain fit for the five-match Test series against England while Mohammed Shami is yet to recover from his ankle injury. He is likely to miss the first two Test matches against the Ben Stokes-led side as well. When it comes to the batting unit, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are set to make their return to the playing XI.