‘No is talking about him. He has ODI double ton’: Forgotten India star put on IPL alert in ‘biggest opportunity’

Forgotten India star Ishan Kishan has been put on alert ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 as former cricketer Aakash Chopra claimed it would be his “biggest opportunity” to bounce back to reckoning for a place in the Indian squad across formats. The wicketkeeper-batter, who was released by Mumbai Indians ahead of the mega auction last November, was roped in by Sunrisers Hyderabad for the 18th edition of the IPL.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra reckoned that despite Ishan’s repeated efforts, especially in domestic cricket, he has been overlooked for reasons the former India opener failed to understand.

“The biggest opportunity is for Ishan Kishan. For whatever reason, he has just completely disappeared from the radar. It seems like no one is talking about him or understanding his importance. He even went and played the Ranji Trophy, and scored runs there, he is doing everything, but no one is even talking about him,” he said.

Chopra reminded that Ishan is among the 10 men who have scored a double century in ODI cricket and is fifth from India after Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Shubman Gill. Ishan scored 210 in a match against Bangladesh in 2022 in Chattogram.

“He has got an ODI double-century. How many people have scored a double century in ODIs, and this guy has done that? This guy can hit sixes and change gears and bat,” he added.

When did Ishan last play for India?

The 26-year-old last donned the Indian blue in a T20I game at home against Australia in November 2023. He was slated to feature in the Test series on the tour of South Africa in December but pulled out, citing a mental health break.

A month later, Ishan found himself in the midst of a controversy that saw him lose a central contract with the BCCI. The Indian board had mandated the participation of all Indian players in domestic tournaments. However, Ishan, on a break from the Indian team, did not feature in Jharkhand’s then-ongoing Ranji Trophy campaign, leaving BCCI miffed as the batter lost his central contract. Ishan was never recalled since.

The left-hander’s name did come up during discussions for the home Test series against Bangladesh and New Zealand after he made an impressive return to the domestic red-ball season last August, but he was not considered for either series.