Former India batter Aakash Chopra lavished praise on Ishan Kishan who scored a blistering 101 runs against Haryana in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, guiding Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Chopra lauded Kishan for having a good domestic season, adding that he will be in pole position for a comeback to the Indian team if he has a good Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
“Ishan Kishan has turned into I-shaandar Kishan. Everyone used to say he did not play domestic cricket and wasn’t serious about his game so we will not select him for the Indian team. Now, he has made his team Jharkhand the champions of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He has played as captain and led them to 11 wins out of 12 and he has also scored 517 runs including a century in the final. He has led from the front and he has led by example,” Chopra said in a video posted on X.
“He has also performed in the Ranji Trophy where he has nearly 250 runs and a century. Now, let’s remind ourselves that in ODIs, he scored a double century. There are a very few cricketers who have achieved that feat. He was, is and will be a great player and now he has made a comeback. Ishan Kishan’s time has almost come. Not this World Cup but after it provided he has a good IPL, he will either be in the conversation for an Indian team spot or will be in the team proper,” he added.
I-shaandar Pradarshan: India call-back coming soon? pic.twitter.com/hfgalBE0WF
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) December 19, 2025
The century against Haryana was a show of intent from the wicket-keeper batter Kishan who has been out of the Indian set up since 2023 having played his last T20I match against Australia in November 2023. He played his last Test against West Indies in September 2023 while his last ODI was against Sri Lanka in October 2023.