‘I’ve always considered myself as…’ – Ishan Kishan expresses desire to become an all-format player after being dropped for Sri Lanka ODI

Team India is ready for their next assignment after winning the T20I series against Sri Lanka. The first ODI between the two sides is underway at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. Ishan Kishan, who had smashed a double hundred, becoming only the fourth Indian to do so, is not in the playing XI, with Shubman Gill opening the innings alongside India captain Rohit Sharma.

While not getting a chance may be difficult for Ishan, the wicketkeeper stated in a recent interview that he is ready to play in all three formats. He also stated that scoring 200 against Bangladesh was critical in proving to his critics that his talent was not limited to T20Is.

“I’ve always considered myself as someone who can play one-day cricket. People used to look at me as a T20 player because of my big hits, my attacking approach. But the double century I scored in Bangladesh was very important because I wanted to prove that my skillset is not just limited to the shorter format and people started reckoning me for both the formats.

“As per my knowledge I may not be in the talks for Test, but that format too is equally important like T20I and ODI,” said the wicketkeeper batter in an interview with senior cricket journalist Vimal Kumar.

I would have taken rest and prepare for the white ball series against Sri Lanka: Ishan Kishan

Ishan returned to Ranchi after the white-ball series against Bangladesh to play in the ongoing Ranji Trophy, where he also hit a century against Kerala.

“As you know after slamming the 200 against Bangladesh, Jharkhand had match within a day gap. So if I didn’t give importance to Test, I would have taken rest and prepare for the white ball series against Sri Lanka. But I traveled straight to Ranchi to play the Ranji Trophy match against Kerala. So it’s not necessary that you can only play T20s if you have the reputation of hitting big sixes. The hundred that I scored for Jharkhand came in 192 balls.

“Everyone has their own process and it also depends on how the coach and selectors look at you. They also need to take care of the workload management. But if you ask me I’m ready to play for India in three formats. And it’s not that I’ve to put in extra effort for it, I’ve scored plenty of runs in red-ball cricket,” he added.