Rahul Dravid denies Shreyas, Ishan were left out of Indian team due to disciplinary reasons
“There were no disciplinary reasons and that was not discussed at all, at least when I had discussions with the selectors,” Dravid said on Wednesday.
Published : Jan 10, 2024 19:17 IST , MOHALI - 2 MINS READ
File - Indian cricket team head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma during a practice session in South Africa. | Photo Credit: ATUL YADAV/PTI
Contrary to media reports claiming that Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were left out of the Indian team for the Afghanistan T20I series on disciplinary grounds, head coach Rahul Dravid made it clear that Iyer was left out of the three-match series since there were lots of batting options, whereas Ishan took a break.
“There were no disciplinary reasons and that was not discussed at all, at least when I had discussions with the selectors,” Dravid said on Wednesday.
Ishan Kishan had earlier sought permission from the team management citing mental fatigue. However, reports claimed that he was spotted at a party in Dubai, forcing the BCCI to take a tough call.
Dravid, however, rubbished such claims. “Ishan Kishan was not available for selection. He had requested for a break, which we had agreed to. He’s not yet made himself available for selection. When he is available, I am sure he will play domestic cricket and be in consideration. That’s the case,” he said.
Iyer will now be part of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy campaign against Andhra from Friday, and Dravid clarified that despite being a ‘fine player’, the Mumbai batter missed out since there were lots of batters in the team already.
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“In Shreyas Iyer’s case, there was absolutely no disciplinary issue for his non-inclusion. He missed out. There were a lot of batters in the team and he missed out. He didn’t play the T20s in South Africa and it’s unfortunate. He’s a fine player but there are a lot of batters and it is not possible to fit in everyone in the squad and in the playing XI,” he said.
In Ishan’s absence, Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson are the two wicket-keeping options for the squad, and both of them had a long session in the nets on the eve of the opening game.