Why everyone should leave Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan alone
The nail-biting action in the opening two games of the India-England series has been a spectacle for Test cricket lovers. Yet, the developments surrounding the absence of Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan dominated the headlines.
Kohli has missed both England encounters, citing personal reasons, and this comes after he had previously opted out of the first of three T20Is against Afghanistan at home for similar reasons. The 35-year-old also flew to London due to a family emergency ahead of the South African Tests.
There are also reports that the star batter will likely miss the third and fourth Tests against England.
Meanwhile, Kishan opted out of the Test series in South Africa at the end of last year due to mental fatigue and constant travel.
The duo was part of India's finals run in the 2023 ODI World Cup, with Kohli finishing as the leading run-scorer and Player of the Tournament. Kohli also played a vital role in India's drawn Test series in South Africa. However, Kishan has not played competitive cricket since the T20I series against Australia following the World Cup.
Despite the team management being in line, several fans and even some experts have had their say and speculated on the possible reasons for the pair's extended absence.
In what has ultimately turned into a sad state of affairs for the two cricketers, it is worthwhile deep-diving into their specific cases and emphasizing the need to provide them with the required privacy.
Virat Kohli
From being among the most accomplished batters in cricket history to an everlasting relentlessness, passion, and high intensity, Kohli is arguably the most admired cricketer on the planet.
Despite his popularity and achievements touching stratospheric levels, the 35-year-old still strives for excellence by setting unimaginable bars on the cricket field. However, like any other renowned luminary, Kohli's life and times have evolved.
The champion cricketer married famous Bollywood star Anushka Sharma in 2017, and the couple welcomed their first child, Vamika, in January 2021. Yet, Kohli continues to dominate the sport with his inimitable batting, evidenced by his heroics in the World Cup last year.
He also scaled the improbable 50 ODI centuries mountain and became the fastest cricketer to 13,000 ODI runs, overtaking Sachin Tendulkar in both.
Despite all this and much more, there are questions about Kohli's hunger and desire to represent the country during this rare absence due to non-injury-related reasons. There were several allegations of Kohli missing the Afghanistan T20I to celebrate his daughter's birthday.
Furthermore, it hasn't helped that his former RCB teammate and friend AB de Villiers announced a few days back that Kohli and Anushka are expecting their second child. Six days later, De Villiers backpedaled and admitted a mistake on his part by quashing his claims on their second child.
Even on the field, Kohli faced criticisms for his recall to the Indian T20I side after a 14-month hiatus from the format. All this despite being inarguably India's best T20I batter statistically and in terms of match-winning performances, especially at the World Cup.
It is downright baffling to see a cricketer of Kohli's stature face such speculations and criticism from even the staunchest Indian fans. With the T20 World Cup fast arriving and India searching to end their 11-year-long ICC title drought, a clear-minded and fresh Virat Kohli remains a priority.
Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan has endured a torrid time off late, with speculations questioning the break from international cricket and his non-participation in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.
The 25-year-old was also unfortunately faced with acquisition of disciplinary issues during the Afghanistan T20Is before head coach Rahul Dravid quashed those claims. Reports had also emerged of Kishan not communicating with the Jharkhand State Cricket Association about his involvement in the Ranji Trophy season.
All of this has made naysayers come down hard on the youngster despite his going through mental issues.
Mental health has become a major talking point in sports and other fields over the last few years, with athletes far more upfront in requesting breaks to overcome the issues.
Even Modern-day greats like Virat Kohli, Ben Stokes, and Glenn Maxwell have opened up about dealing with mental issues at different stages of their careers and breaking from cricket for a period.
At 25, Kishan still has a potentially long career ahead, yet media rumors, character assassinations, and other speculations could only worsen his recovery and dent his progress upon return.
Furthermore, the talented wicket-keeper batter has justifiable reasons for his insecurity and mental fatigue. Kishan could have felt hard done due to being part of every Indian squad since the beginning of last year, yet often not featuring in the playing XI.
He also had no stability in the matches he played due to the need to alternate positions on a match-to-match basis at such an infant stage of his career for team balance.
Being on the road at all times but not playing most of the matches and playing at different positions repeatedly is likely to take a toll on any player, and Kishan has been the victim of all of these.
There were also reports that the southpaw was frustrated with the team management for favoring Jitesh Sharma in the South African T20Is after Kishan impressed at his new No.3 position in the previous series against Australia.
Rahul Dravid has stated that the team is in constant touch with the youngster and will be considered for selection once he returns to competitive cricket in the domestic circuit.
All this can be daunting for a newcomer and even terminal if not handled with the utmost care.
As Kishan tries to work his way and figure out how to balance his game with such demanding needs, it is of utmost importance that he is well-understood and left alone to come back as a better cricketer for the good of Indian cricket.
To conclude, both Kohli and Kishan may be at the opposite ends of the spectrum in their career graphs.
However, they are people first before cricketers, and their personal space deserves respect without speculations, false rumors, and criticisms. Kishan was also reportedly spotted training at the Kiran More Academy recently, thus increasing his comeback possibilities sooner than later.
Empathy is the need of the hour as the duo looks to make a smooth return to the Indian side once their issues are dealt with and resolved.