Ishan Kishan has reappeared in India's T20I squad almost as unexpectedly as he disappeared from it two years ago.
It was in December 2023 when Kishan had asked for a break from the BCCI selectors, citing "personal reasons". Two months later, he was stripped of his central contract, with the board warning top players to not skip domestic cricket. It was startling because just a year earlier, Kishan had smashed the fastest double-century in ODI cricket history against Bangladesh; and with Rishabh Pant injured, he was the preferred wicketkeeper-batter in the white-ball formats.
For two years, Kishan was out in the wilderness, and it seemed the national selectors had moved past him. Cut to December 2025, where on the back of a stellar Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), Kishan has returned to the India fold, his comeback almost as improbable as his exit. It has capped off a dream four weeks for Kishan, during which he led Jharkhand to their maiden SMAT title, finished as the tournament's highest run-getter while striking at 197.32, and was named in India's squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
How did Kishan make it back to the India squad after two years of setbacks? Ishank Jaggi, the former Jharkhand batter, who was part of the team when Kishan made his first-class debut as a 16-year-old, believes Kishan has now matured as a cricketer, and that he understands his game better.
"Any player, any batter achieves maturity around [the age of] 27-28 on average," Jaggi told ESPNcricinfo. "Ishan understands his game better now, he understands life better, [and] he understands how to carry himself better. Before this, there was some childishness in him... he was always serious about his game, but maybe people were misinterpreting him. But now he has matured, and he knows what's right for him.
"His mental strength is on another level. I have never seen him run away, get flustered, or get scared by failures. People say that cricketers are getting content after playing in the IPL, [and] earning so much money. But he is not content. Such players bring out their best when their backs are against the wall. Ishan also took it as a challenge that 'right, now everyone is writing me off, now I will show who I am'."
Jaggi has watched Kishan from close quarters since his domestic debut in 2014, and is well aware of his all-round game. The two were even roommates during the early part of Kishan's career. It was natural that during his period of struggle, Jaggi was one of the few familiar faces that Kishan turned to.
"Mentally, Ishan is an elite player," Jaggi said. "There are a few things that have happened with him in the past. You can call it bad luck, call it unfortunate incidents, or call it childishness. But [at the] end of the day, to overcome all that and perform is not everyone's cup of tea. The entire credit goes to him [after] the way he has been able to lift himself after those incidents.
"Sometimes, what happens is that as a player, while improving on one aspect of our game, we tend to miss out on some of our strengths. So, last year, during the Ranji Trophy, there was a gap between a match, and he came up to me and said, 'bhaiya I want to work on my batting'. I have known him for 16 years, [and] I have observed his strengths, his weaknesses very closely. I know how he plays and what he is good at.
"He was very clear on the areas that he wants to improve, [and] what formats he is targeting. When a player has that clarity, then guiding the player becomes easier."
Kishan was soon back in the groove, playing domestic cricket and scoring runs. On return to first-class cricket after more than a year, Kishan smashed 111 for India C in a Duleep Trophy game last home season. He subsequently had a solid run at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy for Jharkhand, and a decent IPL 2025 for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
"I didn't do anything out of the box," Jaggi said of the work he put in with Kishan. "He has always had the mindset of an elite-level athlete. It was a matter of very minor tweaks. There weren't any major changes."
Another thing that stood out apart from his batting in SMAT was Kishan's captaincy. He was proactive in making fielding changes, wasn't shy in taking tough decisions such as dropping opener Utkarsh Singh and promoting Virat Singh to open the batting, and backing his bowlers. And that rubbed on to the players, too.
"Kishan has a huge role to play in changing the mindset of the Jharkhand players," Virat said. "He bats with a high strike rate in general, and when the leader of the team does that, the rest of the batters follow suit. He plays a brand of cricket which is fearless. He simply said, 'no matter what, we have to dominate. We get out for 100, 120, 130, doesn't matter. We will go out and dominate the bowlers'."
Jharkhand fast bowler Sushant Mishra, the joint-wicket-taker in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 22 wickets in 11 outings, also echoed Virat's sentiments.
"Ishan bhaiya as a captain is really good," he said. "Most importantly, he backs every player, and gives him complete freedom both on the field and off the field. Even if I am being taken for runs, he backs my plans. Then, if I am blank, he comes and talks with clarity. He trusts his bowlers, which is very important. And this is not just for the bowlers, but the batters as well. He motivates players."
Leadership isn't new to Kishan. He captained India at the 2016 Under-19 World Cup, and Jaggi firmly believes Kishan has it in him to be a future leader in the IPL.
"His leadership skills have come a long way," Jaggi said. "The kind of field setting he was doing [in SMAT] was commendable. I told him three years back that, 'bro, you have the skillsets to be a great captain. So make sure you just upgrade your game to that level'. Time makes everything right. And he is right behind it, making his game, his craft better."
It was a December when Kishan lost his place in the Indian side; it is a December when he has gained it back. In between, there have been struggles and comebacks. But after a roller-coaster two years, he will hope a permanent place in at least India's T20I side is his.
With inputs from Rajan Raj.