Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (BCCI Photo)
The team management, led by head coach Gautam Gambhir, has resisted calls to fast-track the 15-yearold despite the clamour around his talent. For a 15-year-old, everyone saying he must play doesn’t leave him much space. Because of the injury, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak revealed that Ishan was pushed down the order in the first T20I. Because people like a player, but you can’t make changes in the XI just.
no timeline has been given for his return While a BCCI statement said the medical team is monitoring his progress. The lessons you learn at this level are very different, and he has to absorb those too,” Kotak said. He will learn a lot once he starts playing, but initially there was too much hype around his place in the side,” he said.
One game into India’s tour of New Zealand and the familiar fitness concerns have already surfaced. Uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra was added to the squad as cover. The setback could finally pave the way for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who has spent the last nine matches on the sidelines. With uncertainty over Ishan’s recovery, however, the teenager may now get an opportunity in conditions far more challenging than those at home. Under Kotak’s watchful eye, he spent considerable time in the nets, a clear indication that the team wants him ready if needed. If the team management decides to veer away from their template of playing eight batters and field a spinner, Sooryavanshi may have to wait. Kotak believes the teenager has already matured since first joining the national setup. “Now, he is much more mature. He understood why he is not playing. He has never complained. He is working on his fielding and fitness and is constantly observing others’ batting. Kotak cautioned against allowing public sentiment to dictate team selection While acknowledging the popularity surrounding the youngster. “Everyone likes him. The public likes him. Social media likes him. The team likes him. “I genuinely felt that wasn’t good for the player either. He is still very young. It’s unfair on other players who are performing as well. People involved in cricket should think whether they are helping or simply creating noise.”
Ishan Kishan has been ruled out of the second T20I at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday after sustaining a low-grade right adductor strain during the series opener on Thursday.