Indian wicketkeeper-batter, Ishan Kishan, along with some other contracted players, will be heading to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for strength and conditioning training ahead of the team’s tour of the West Indies. The Indian cricket team will be playing two Tests, three ODIs, and five one-day internationals against the West Indies starting on July 12.
The centrally contracted and targeted players, who are not involved in any domestic tournaments during a gap between two international series, usually attend the NCA to receive an update on their fitness status.
Kishan had already withdrawn himself from the season opening domestic red-ball tournament, the Duleep Trophy, which is scheduled to be held entirely in Bengaluru from June 28, due to which he would not have any chances to play with the red-ball before the Caribbean tour.
It was speculated that Kishan might push his case for selection in the Test team by getting some match practice during the one-off game in Duleep Trophy, especially with the incumbent wicketkeeper-batter, KS Bharat, struggling to make a mark with the bat.
However, Kishan’s decision to opt-out of the Duleep Trophy has raised concerns about his desire to play Test cricket and across all formats of the game for India. But with no one challenging his place as a second keeper in the Test side, Kishan’s decision is more to do with the lack of options.
Kishan has been a regular part of the Indian team since last December and took a short break upon arrival from England after the World Test Championship final, according to a source close to him. Kishan will start his training and preparations for the West Indies tour after checking into the NCA, the source added.
There is a theory that if Kishan is not selected in the playing eleven for the two Test matches, he will go into the white-ball leg without any competitive game time for two months. For the record, his last competitive match was for the Mumbai Indians on May 26, and if he is not selected in playing eleven for Tests, his next game would be the ODI series opener against the West Indies on July 27 at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
