"Most underrated talent of Indian cricket team" - Fans wish Ishan Kishan on his 26th birthday
Team India wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan celebrates his 26th birthday, today, July 18. Touted to be one of India's best glovemen of the post-MS Dhoni generation, Kishan has flexed his muscles in his brief international career.
The southpaw has played 32 T20Is, 27 ODIs, and 2 Tests, scoring 1,807 runs with a century and 14 half-centuries. Kishan is also one of only five Indian batters to have ever scored an ODI double-century, achieving the milestone against Bangladesh in 2022.
Yet, his recent struggles with mental issues and fatigue since the end of last year have kept him out of the national setup recently. Kishan was part of India's 2023 ODI World Cup squad that went through an unbeaten run until the finale.
His strength has been his ability to adapt and bat at all the positions from 1 to 7 for India to achieve the optimum team balance.
On his 26th birthday, fans on Twitter wished Kishan with the following reactions:
The wishes continued to pour in for Kishan with one fan saying:
"Ishan Kishan is the best after msd."
"One day you will be the WC winner for India meri jaan," said a fan.
"Happy Birthday to my favourite pocket sized dynamo Ishan Kishan. One of those players whose success makes me happy. Hope to see you in the Indian team soon," a fan tweeted.
Ishan Kishan visited Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir on his 26th birthday
Ishan Kishan paid a visit to the Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir to seek the blessings of the lord on his 26th birthday.
The southpaw last played for India in the home T20I series against Australia in November 2023. Kishan was part of the Mumbai Indians (MI) squad for the 2024 IPL season and scored 320 runs at an average of under 23 in 14 games. Unfortunately, MI endured a dismal campaign, finishing at the bottom of the table.
Kishan shared an image of him at the Sai Baba Mandir on his Instagram handle as below:
Due to his absence from the Indian setup from the South Africa tour at the end of last year, Kishan was excluded from the annual BCCI contract list. It led to him missing out on India's title run in the recently concluded T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.
With Rishabh Pant's successful return to the side and others like Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel impressing in their opportunities, Kishan's return to the Indian setup might take longer than expected.