Ishan Kishan earned a recall to India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad after two years, leading Jharkhand to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title. An old video of him promising a jersey to a specially-abled fan upon his national comeback has gone viral.
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan ended his two-year wait for his national recall when he was selected to India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, which India and Sri Lanka will host in March and February. The squad was announced by the BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia during the press conference, alongside chief selector Ajit Agarkar and India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai on Saturday, December 20.
Ishan Kishan was one of the surprise inclusions in the India squad, alongside Rinku Singh, for the marquee event. Kishan’s national recall after two years was based on his consistent performance in domestic cricket, particularly in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025/26, where he led Jharkhand to their maiden title in the tournament and the overall second domestic triumph.
In the SMAT 2025, Ishan Kishan performed exceptionally well and emerged as the highest run-getter of the tournament, amassing 517 runs, including two centuries and as many fifties, at an average of 57.44 in 10 matches. He also scored a century in the final against Haryana.
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Ishan Kishan’s Old Video Goes Viral
As Ishan Kishan made his comeback to the India squad for the upcoming T20 series against New Zealand and the T20 World Cup 2026, an undated video of his interaction with a specially-abled has surfaced on social media, which caught the attention of the netizens.
In a video, a specially-abled fan can be seen asking the Jharkhand captain for his Indian jersey. Ishan emphatically replied that he is not currently in the team but promised to gift his Indian jersey once he is selected and makes a comeback. The video has gone viral following his match-winning century knock in the final against Haryana.
Now, the video has resurfaced and gone viral, highlighting Ishan Kishan’s comeback to the Indian team.
Ishan Kishan was off the selectors’ radar following his removal from the BCCI central contract for his failure to adhere to the BCCI directive to play domestic cricket in 2024. The 27-year-old’s last appearance in the Indian jersey was in a Test match against West Indies in 2023. That year, he was part of India’s squad for Tests and T20I series against South Africa, but he later opted out of the South Africa tour, citing personal reasons and mental fatigue.
The removal from the BCCI central contract list for the 2024/25 season was a setback for Ishan Kishan as it kept him out of the national spotlight and delayed his return to international cricket.
The Fight for the Comeback
Following his removal from the central contract list, Ishan Kishan’s future appeared to be at stake, but the southpaw grinded in domestic cricket to grab the eyeballs of the selectors over the one year. In 2024, the Jharkhand captain featured in all domestic tournaments, including the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Ishan featured for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2024, but had a moderate campaign, amassing 320 runs at an average of 22.85 in 14 matches. In the ongoing domestic season, Ishan Kishan has continued to pile up runs and knock on the selectors’ door to reclaim his spot in the national team.
During IPL 2025, where he played for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Ishan Kishan regained his central contract and was put in the ‘C’ category by the BCCI. With his brilliant performance in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy season, the wicketkeeper-batter has finally forced his way back into the national reckoning, earning a well-deserved recall to India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad.
It is unclear whether Ishan Kishan will feature in the main playing XI for the T20 World Cup, but he is expected to get some games under his belt during the T20I series against New Zealand ahead of the marquee event.
