Indian wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan has hit the ground running as the left-handed batter has made a much-awaited return to competitive cricket since being out of action for three months. Following Rahul Dravid's advice of Kishan needing to play "some cricket" to make a comeback into the Indian side, the Southpaw was seen featuring in the DY Patil T20 Cup for RBI.
In his first competitive match in three months, Kishan donned the wicket-keeping gloves in RBI's clash against Route Mobile at the DY Patil University Grounds in Navi Mumbai. His team features the likes of Shahbaz Nadeem, Riyan Parag, Ankit Rajpoot, Dhruv Shorey and Amit Mishra.
Indian head coach Rahul Dravid advised Kishan to play "domestic cricket" for an India return before clarifying it later that "he needs to play some cricket and come back." For the unversed, Kishan pulled out from the Indian squad ahead of the Test series against South Africa.
"Ishan requested for a break, which we agreed in South Africa. We supported it. He has not yet made himself available. When he is available, he will play domestic cricket and make himself available for selection," Dravid told media ahead of India's T20I series against Afghanistan in January.
He then clarified his stance during the India vs England Test series. There is a way back for anyone and everyone. "Whenever he is ready, I didn't say he has to play domestic cricket, I said whenever he is ready... he needs to play some cricket and come back. The choice is his. We are not forcing him to do anything. We are in touch with him," he said in Visakhapatnam during the Test series vs England.
Recently, Hardik Pandya also made a return to competitive cricket. The Indian all-rounder led Reliance 1 in the ongoing DY Patil T20 Cup against Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, where he batted and bowled too. He sent in three overs for 2/22 and batted at No.10 in his team's two-wicket win.
