Four Decembers of Ishan Kishan: Double century, dropped, Bhagavad Gita and redemption | Cricket News

Jharkhand captain Ishan Kishan

New Delhi: “Karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana (You have the right to work but never to the fruit of work)”. This is written in verse no. 47 of chapter no. 2 in the Bhagavad Gita, which brought Ishan Kishan to tears.Exactly a year ago in December, while going through personal turmoil, Ishan Kishan started reading the Bhagavad Gita – a conversation between Arjuna and Lord Krishna. Like Arjuna, Ishan was fighting two battles — one with his career, which was sabotaged by the men who mattered, and still matter, in Indian cricket, and the other with uncertainty over where his career was heading.

In the last four Decembers, the wicketkeeper-batter has seen the highs, the lows and redemption.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!In December 2022, he scored a whirlwind double century off just 126 balls in Chattogram. The previous fastest double hundred in men’s ODIs was 138 balls, by Chris Gayle for West Indies against Zimbabwe in Canberra during the 2015 World Cup.

Ishan Kishan with his family

In December 2023, when he asked for a break due to mental fatigue, it irked the then team management. The management failed to appreciate the natural frustration that builds up in players who are repeatedly benched. Conversely, the narrative floated by the team management led by then coach Rahul Dravid, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and the then leadership group suggested that Kishan did not handle his non-selection with the expected mindset.In December 2024, while scrolling through his mobile phone, he came across a quote from the Bhagavad Gita which intrigued the talented wicketkeeper-batter, prompting him to call his father to understand its meaning. After Pranav Pandey, Ishan’s father, narrated a few shlokas from the Bhagavad Gita, Ishan ordered the holy book and since then it has become an integral part of his life, alongside his bats and keeping gloves.Cut to the present — leading Jharkhand in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the southpaw slammed 517 runs at an exhilarating strike rate of 197.32, including a 51-ball hundred in the final against Haryana. The knock was enough to help Jharkhand win their maiden domestic T20 title.Between these four Decembers, Ishan’s life has turned upside down.

Spirituality and family has helped Ishan Kishan battle through the dark times

After his double hundred against Bangladesh in an ODI, it seemed Kishan had secured the opening slot alongside Rohit Sharma for the 2023 ODI World Cup. However, in the very next ODI at home against Sri Lanka, the team management opted for Shubman Gill, with Kishan relegated to a reserve role throughout the multi-nation tournament where he only played when Gill was unavailable due to dengue. When KL Rahul was unavailable in the lead-up to the World Cup, Kishan stepped into the middle order and produced impressive returns — including a 91 against a strong Pakistan pace attack on a tough Pallekele surface — only to make way once Rahul regained full fitness.In T20Is too, despite Rishabh Pant’s absence and Kishan being a left-handed option, India preferred right-handers Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson for their middle-order suitability.Back in the day, R Ashwin, speaking on his YouTube channel, heaped praise on Kishan, calling him an “extraordinary team man,” while recalling an incident from India’s West Indies tour. Ashwin also lauded Kishan’s attitude despite continuously warming the bench after performing well. “One more thing is that Ishan Kishan is an extraordinary team man. He will mix positive vibes with the water he is giving to the players in the XI,” Ashwin had said.

Rajkot: India A’s Ishan Kishan plays a shot during the third unofficial ODI cricket match between India A and South Africa A, at Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. (PTI Photo)(PTI11_19_2025_000275B)

But it was Kishan’s attitude that was questioned by Dravid and Agarkar after he asked for a break in South Africa, where Dravid said his technique was not suited for overseas conditions and that KL Rahul would keep the gloves. This came despite Kishan having kept wickets in the intra-squad match and being told by then captain Rohit Sharma that he was going to play.Later, Dravid stated that if Ishan Kishan wanted to play for India again, he must play domestic cricket. The same Dravid seemingly overlooked the fact that four days after his double century in Chattogram on December 10, Kishan scored a century against Kerala in Ranchi.It has been four years since Ishan Kishan last played for India. Since then, he has featured in the DY Patil Tournament, the Buchi Babu Trophy, IPL, county cricket, and most importantly, domestic cricket for Jharkhand. In the meantime, he lost his central contract after the BCCI instructed top cricketers to “give precedence to domestic cricket” when not on national duty.

Nagpur: Jharkhand’s captain Ishan Kishan sets the field during the third day of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 cricket match between Vidarbha and Jharkhand, in Nagpur. (PTI Photo)(PTI10_27_2025_000277B)

Luck also did not favour Kishan, who was set to return to the Test set-up for the Oval Test as a replacement for the injured Rishabh Pant against England. However, an injury ruled him out and Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan was flown in as backup to Dhruv Jurel. Kishan was considered a like-for-like replacement for Pant.Kishan’s name has been put forward during multiple team selections since then but has been stonewalled due to “attitude problem”. It is learnt that he was very close to a return for the ODI series vs South Africa but his selection didn’t get the required support. This despite a long discussion for the second wicketkeeper spot.When the times were tough and the youngster was losing patience and mental peace by regularly warming the bench across formats, the Bhagavad Gita and spirituality helped him find peace and a newfound discipline in his life.

Nagpur: Jharkhand’s captain Ishan Kishan with teammates during the third day of the Ranji Trophy match between Vidarbha and Jharkhand at VCA Stadium, in Nagpur, Maharashtra. (PTI Photo)(PTI10_27_2025_000112A)

“The setback has taught him discipline and has made him hungrier than ever to play for India again,” his father Pranav Pandey told TimesofIndia.com.“The boy who always brought a smile to everyone’s face stopped smiling. As parents, my wife and I used to cry. It was a difficult phase and it has passed. He left Patna at the age of 12 and moved to Ranchi for cricket, and people were saying he had no interest in playing for India. It was painful to see those memes,” recalled an emotional father.The 12-year-old Ishan was shifted to a two-room quarter in Doranda, Ranchi, where he shared the flat with three others twice his age. “They used to cook food, and Ishan, who had no clue about cooking, was given the job of cleaning utensils,” remembers Pranav.“There were numerous occasions when he was alone in the flat. He learned how to cook Maggi, which often became his dinner. In the morning, before practice, he would drink sattu, while chips and soft drinks became his lunch. He shared these stories with us when he became captain of the India U-19 World Cup team in 2016,” he adds.

Nagpur: Rest of India’s Ruturaj Gaikwad, left, Ishan Kishan, right, and others return to pavilion due to low light on day three of the Irani Cup 2025 cricket match between Vidarbha and Rest of India, at Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium, in Nagpur, Maharashtra. (PTI Photo) (PTI10_03_2025_000286B)

Pranav shared an incident before Ishan left for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. “I wished him luck and, like any father, asked him to be selfish. He replied with a shloka from the Gita — ‘Anusasitaṃ manaḥ sukhaṃ janayati’ (A disciplined mind brings happiness). It brought tears to my eyes, and he burst into laughter. We have got our son back, and soon he will get his place in the team back,” says Pranav, a cricket tragic himself.

A lot of water has flown under the bridge since he was last seen in India colours, and the curious case of the missing Ishan Kishan remains a puzzle that may never be fully answered. But with wisdom drawn from the Bhagavad Gita, the fire in the cricketer continues to burn.