Former Indian cricketer turned commentator Mohammad Kaif said that Ishan Kishan’s decision to return to domestic cricket has paid off as he continues to make an impact across formats as well. Ishan Kishan, right after his heroics in the
Duleep Trophy 2026 Final, scored a 33-ball 42 in the first T20I against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi as well. He had to come into bat early after Sanju Samson’s dismissal in the third over and played second fiddle to Abhishek Sharma as both left-handers posted 121 runs off 53 deliveries for the second wicket to take India close to the 157-run target in the run chase as well.

“When Ishan Kishan’s name was removed from BCCI’s contract list, he was told to play domestic cricket. He also had some issues, because of which he was unable to play domestic cricket consistently. Maybe it was forced on him when the selectors and the head coach at the time, Rahul Dravid, told him to play in the domestic circuit. At the time, he must have felt bad that someone was forcing him to do something, but that has benefitted him,” Mohammad Kaif said on Cricbuzz.

Mohammad Kaif stated that Ishan Kishan is benefiting from playing cricket constantly across formats, whether it be domestic or international cricket.

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“I think that decision has made him a wiser person. Now he is totally focused on his game. He is now able to score in every format because he plays in Ranji, and he was already a good white-ball player. We mostly know Jharkhand for MS Dhoni, but now more heroes like Ishan Kishan are emerging from there,” Mohammad Kaif said.

“Sachin Tendulkar played for India for 23 years consistently without any break apart from injuries here and there, and that is the reason he made 100 centuries. The more you play, it helps you become a better player. I am seeing Ishan Kishan in that phase where he is playing constantly and brilliantly for the last two years, and he wants to keep playing all the time. He must also be feeling the pressure, as Vaibhav Suryavanshi is not finding a place and there is a lot of competition, but he is handling that pressure well,” he concluded.