Jharkhand captain Ishan Kishan New Delhi: “Karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana (You have the right to work but never to the fruits of work)”. This is written in verse no 47 of chapter no 2 in Bhagavad Gita which brought Ishan Kishan to tears.Exactly a year ago in December, while going through personal turmoil, Ishan Kishan began reading the Bhagavad Gita – a conversation between Arjuna and Lord Krishna. Like Arjuna, Ishan fought two battles – one with his career being sabotaged by men who mattered and still matter in Indian cricket, and the other with uncertainty about where his career was headed.
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In the last four Decembers, the wicketkeeper-palter has seen highs, lows and redemption.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!In December 2022, he scored a blistering double century off just 126 balls at 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 angered the team management at the time. Management failed to appreciate the natural frustration that builds up in players who are repeatedly benched. In contrast, the narrative of the team management led by then coach Rahul Dravid, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and the then management 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 that caught the talented batsman’s attention and prompted him to call his father to understand its meaning. After Pranav Pandey, Ishan’s father, recited a few shlokas from the Bhagavad Gita, Ishan ordered the holy book and since then it has become an integral part of his life, along with his bats and gloves.Cut to the present – leading Jharkhand in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the southpaw hitting 517 runs at a thrilling 197.32, including a 51-ball set in the final against Haryana. The knock was enough to help Jharkhand win their first home T20 title.Between these four Decembers, Ishan’s life turned upside down.
Spirituality and family helped Ishan Kishan fight through the dark times
After his double hundred against Bangladesh in the ODIs, Kishan seemed to have secured the starting position 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 being relegated to a reserve role during the multi-nation tournament, playing only when Gill was unavailable due to dengue. With KL Rahul unavailable ahead of the World Cup, Kishan stepped into the middle order and produced impressive returns – including 91 against Pakistan’s powerful pace attack on the hard Pallekele surface – only to fall back once Rahul regained full fitness.In the T20Is too, despite the absence of Rishabh Pant and Kishan, who was left-handed, India preferred right-handers Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson for their middle-order suitability.That day, R Ashwin took to his YouTube channel to praise Kishan, calling him an “extraordinary team man”, recalling an incident from India’s tour of the West Indies. Ashwin also praised Kishan’s attitude despite his constant warming of the bench after a good performance. “One more thing is that Ishan Kishan is an extraordinary team man. He mixes positive vibes with the water he gives to the players in the playing XI,” Ashwin 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 the 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 to overseas conditions and that KL Rahul would keep the gloves. This was despite Kishan keeping wickets in the intra-team match and being told by then captain Rohit Sharma that he would play.Later, Dravid stated that if Ishan Kishan wants to play for India again, he has to 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 two years since Ishan Kishan last played for India. Since then he has featured in DY Patil Tournament, Buchi Babu Trophy, IPL, district cricket and most importantly domestic cricket for Jharkhand. Meanwhile, he lost his major contract after the BCCI instructed top cricketers to “give preference to domestic cricket” when not on national duty.
Nagpur: Jharkhand 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 was also against Kishan, who was due to return to the Test squad for the Oval Test as a replacement for the injured Rishabh Pant against England. However, injury sidelined him and Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan was flown in as back-up to Dhruv Jurel. Kishan was considered a similar replacement for Pant.Kishan’s name has since been mentioned during the selections of several teams, but has been blocked due to an “attitude problem”. It was learned that he was very close to returning for the ODI series against South Africa but his selection did not get the required support. And this despite the long discussion about the second place of the goalkeeper.When times were tough and the youngster was losing patience and peace of mind with regular bench warming across formats, the Bhagavad Gita and spirituality helped him find peace and a newfound discipline in his life.
Nagpur: Jharkhand captain Ishan Kishan with teammates during the third day of the Ranji Trophy match between Vidarbha and Jharkhand at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur, Maharashtra. (PTI Photo) (PTI10_27_2025_000112A)
“The failure taught him discipline and 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 cried. It was a tough phase and it’s over. He left Patna at the age of 12 and moved to Ranchi for cricket and people said he was not interested in playing for India. It was painful to see the memes,” the emotional father recalled.Twelve-year-old Ishan was moved to a two-room flat in Doranda, Ranchi, where he shared a flat with three others twice his age. “They cooked food and Ishan, who had no idea about cooking, was given the task of cleaning the dishes,” recalls Pranav.“There were many occasions when he was alone in the flat. He learned to cook Maggi, which often became his dinner. He drank satta in the morning before training, while chips and soft drinks became his lunch. He shared these stories with us when he captained India’s Under-19 World Cup team in 2016,” he adds.
Nagpur: Rest of India Ruturaj Gaikwad, left, Ishan Kishan, right and others return to the pavilion during low light on the third day of the Irani Cup 2025 cricket match between Vidarbha and Rest of India at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur, Maharashtra. (PTI Photo) (PTI10_03_2025_000286B)
Pranav shared the 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 out laughing. We got our son back and he will soon get his place back in the team,” says Pranav, himself a cricketing tragic.
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A lot of water has flown under the bridge since he was last spotted in Indian colors and the curious case of the missing Ishan Kishan remains a mystery that may never be fully answered. But with the wisdom gleaned from the Bhagavad Gita, the fire in the cricketer continues to burn.
