India legend Sunil Gavaskar feels that Ishan Kishan’s selection in the T20 World Cup 2026 squad means that the BCCI is now looking at domestic cricket performance along with the IPL. Kishan found himself out of the Indian team picture for over two years and started crushing it on the domestic circuit.
The Jharkhand wicketkeeper did not have the best of times in IPL 2025 despite starting with a hundred, but he made amends during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Kishan emerged as the top performer in the tournament, finishing with 517 runs in 10 matches at an average of 57.44 and a strike rate of 197.32. This included a match-winning set in the final of the tournament against Haryana to force their way into the contention for selection.
Finally, Kishan’s prayers were answered as he managed to leapfrog Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma to make the main squad for the tournament next year. Speaking to Star Sports, Gavaskar said that he is happy to see a performer like Kishan finally make it into the side after being sidelined for a long time.
“When you see someone perform, you pick him. Ishan Kishan has already been in the side and he has shown that he can do it. That’s a big plus. His current form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy proves that the selection criteria must be performance in domestic cricket, not just the IPL. I’m very happy for him. He was out of the team for a couple of years,” said the team’s fantastic comeback to win the season Jhark. Gavaskar.
‘JITESH DID NOTHING WRONG’
Gavaskar then sympathized with Jitesh was not selected for the tournament and even compared him to MS Dhoni when it comes to DRS calls. The Indian legend advised the keeper to go the Kishan route and continue to perform well on the home circuit to force his way back into the side.
“I feel for Jitesh Sharma. He didn’t do anything wrong. He was a very good keeper in his chances and maybe the best after MS Dhoni in helping the captain with DRS calls from behind the stumps. It’s tough for him but he’s young. He just needs to get back to domestic cricket and continue to perform,” Gavaskar said.
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Published on:
December 20, 2025
