Rahul Dravid, the Indian head coach, shared why players like Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer weren’t chosen for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan.
Ishan Kishan stepped back from the Test series against South Africa due to mental exhaustion. Dravid dismissed rumors of Ishan being let go for disciplinary reasons, saying that he hasn’t yet signaled his readiness to play.
Before the first T20I in Mohali, Dravid spoke to the press. Here’s his take on the team’s perspective regarding Ishan Kishan:
“No absolutely not (disciplinary issue). Ishan Kishan was not available for selection. Ishan requested for a break, which we agreed in South Africa. We supported it. He has not yet made himself available. I don’t think he has made himself available as yet. When he is available, he will play domestic cricket and make himself available for selection.”
Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid justifies Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion from T20I team
Shreyas Iyer got tagged as the deputy leader for India’s last duo of T20Is versus Australia. Interestingly, he sat out each South Africa T20I, without a single game. Rahul Dravid emphasized this to highlight the tight race among true hitters in Indian T20I cricket.
He said there was no disciplinary cause for Shreyas’ absence and that it was just unfortunate for him to miss out:
“Certainly, in Shreyas Iyer’s case, there is absolutely no disciplinary reason for his non-inclusion. It’s just that he missed out. There were a lot of battes in the team”, Dravid said. “Shreyas missed out, he didn’t play the T20Is in South Africa, if you noticed. They are a lot of batters and it’s not easy to fit everyone. So, absolutely, there is no disciplinary reasons at all. At least I didn’t discuss such things with the selectors.”
Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid shared news that Virat Kohli could not be chosen for the first T20I game. Why? Personal matters were the cause.