India’s coach Rahul Dravid has stepped forward to provide clarity on the non-selection of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer for the T20 International series against Afghanistan. Contrary to reports suggesting disciplinary issues as the cause for their absence, Dravid has categorically denied such claims.
Notably, both Ishan and Shreyas were absent from India’s 16-member squad for their upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan. The Men in blue will face Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series, starting January 11.
Dravid explained that Kishan had requested a break due to mental fatigue during the South Africa tour, which the team management agreed to support. Dravid confirmed that Kishan had not made himself available for selection since then and would return to domestic cricket when ready.
“No absolutely not (disciplinary issue). Ishan Kishan was not available for selection. Ishan requested for a break, which we agreed in South Africa. We supported it. He has not yet made himself available. I don’t think he has made himself available as yet. When he is available, he will play domestic cricket and make himself available for selection,” Dravid told the reporters in the pre-series press conference.
Furthermore, Dravid addressed the case of Shreyas Iyer, stating unequivocally that his exclusion from the team was not due to any disciplinary reasons. Instead, it was a matter of intense competition within the squad, with many batters vying for limited spots. Iyer, who also did not feature in the T20Is in South Africa, simply missed out on selection due to the abundance of batting talent available. Dravid assured that there had been no discussions with selectors about any disciplinary issues concerning either player.
“Certainly, in Shreyas Iyer’s case, there is absolutely no disciplinary reason for his non-inclusion. It’s just that he missed out. There were a lot of battes in the team. Shreyas missed out, he didn’t play the T20Is in South Africa, if you noticed. They are a lot of batters and it’s not easy to fit everyone. So, absolutely, there is no disciplinary reasons at all. At least I didn’t discuss such things with the selectors,” Rahul Dravid added.
