India's wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has spoken out for the first time after being omitted from the national team and losing his central contract.
The 25-year-old last played in November 2023, after which he requested a break during the team’s tour of South Africa.
He made a comeback at the DY Patil tournament in February and participated in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but lost his central contract after the BCCI instructed top cricketers to prioritise domestic cricket when not on national duty.
In a conversation with the Indian Express, he was asked about his exclusion from the Indian team and the loss of his central contract.
"I don't want to be sad about anything. I'll keep giving my best," he said.
The wicket-keeper batter admitted that the past few months had been depressing, and the events that transpired made him question why all this had to happen to him.
"It was depressing. Today I don't want to say that everything was fine. It was not easy for me at all. You go through a lot. All these things happened when I was performing," he said.
Ishan was asked about the reason for his break, and he revealed that it was primarily due to travel fatigue, but he also didn't feel entirely well mentally. He mentioned that, unfortunately, aside from his family and a few close friends, no one else understood his perspective.
"I was scoring runs and then I found myself on the bench. These things do happen in a team sport. But I experienced travel fatigue. It meant there was something wrong, I was not feeling well or right and so I decided to take a break. However, sadly, barring my family and few close people no one understood that.
"I took a break and I think it was normal. There is a rule that if you want to make a comeback you must perform in domestic cricket. It is as simple as that. Now, it was very different for me to play domestic cricket as it was not making any sense. I was not in a frame of mind to play and that is why I took a break from international cricket. It doesn't make sense that you take a break from international cricket and then you go and play domestic matches," he asserted.
