Ishan Kishan In Fray For England Tests, Says Report. KL Rahul's Role Changes To ...

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding Ishan Kishan recently with some media reports claiming that the wicket-keeper batter was dropped for the Afghanistan T20I series due to 'mistrust' between him and the Indian cricket team selectors. Kishan opted out of the South Africa Test series citing 'personal reasons' and has not featured for the national side since then. However, according to Cricbuzz, he is likely to make his return to international cricket during the upcoming Test series against England as the team management may opt for a specialist wicket-keeper in place of KL Rahul.

During the pre-match press conference ahead of the first T20I match against Afghanistan, India head coach Rahul Dravid provided a clear answer about Kishan's exclusion.

"Absolutely no 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. When he is available, he will play domestic cricket and make himself available for selection," Dravid said.

In the recent past, players have been asked to play domestic games before making a return from a long absence and the Cricbuzz report claims that Kishan can make himself available for Jharkhand's next Ranji Trophy fixture against Services in Delhi from January 19.

The report further claims that the team management has asked Rahul to concentrate on his batting and not take any additional strain. Rahul is expected to play as a specialist batter in the Test series against England and he has been instructed to not play Ranji Trophy games to avoid any injuries.