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Former Indian spinner and analyst Ravi Ashwin has opened up on the keeper-batter Ishan Kishan's inclusion in India's squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, which is scheduled to start on Saturday, February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.
Speaking exclusively on his YouTube channel, Ashwin reckoned that it is a gift that the game of cricket has given to Ishan Kishan, and he's back in the Indian team because he has given cricket the respect it deserves.
"This is a gift that cricket has given to Ishan Kishan. Many people from outside can guess what it is, and some may say it's unfair. But life comes back in circles. The reason Ishan was not in the team earlier, and how he has come back now, has only one reason. He has given cricket the respect it deserves," Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel.
Notably, Kishan concluded the SMAT 2025-26 season with 517 runs in 10 innings at 57.44, including two centuries and two fifties. Interestingly, he smacked a century in the final against Haryana to lead his side to a comfortable title victory.
Furthermore, Ashwin talked about Ishan Kishan’s consistent performances in the Buchi Babu Trophy, Ranji Trophy preparations, SMAT, and first-class cricket, which propelled him to be a part of the squad for the marquee event.
"He played in the Buchi Babu Trophy. A player like Ishan Kishan came and represented Jharkhand in the tournament held in Chennai. He was the number one performer in Ranji Trophy preparations for Jharkhand and once again scored runs in first-class cricket. In SMAT, he led the team to victory, and he also performed exceptionally well. That's why this is not about Ishan Kishan the person; it's about Ishan Kishan the cricketer, who went through the yards of the game, respected the game, and hence succeeded," he added.
India's squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vc), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wk).
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