The Board of Control For Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the 15-member T20I squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, which begins later this month in the UAE. KL Rahul makes his return after a long lay-off due to injury, and the former captain Virat Kohli, who was rested for the West Indies series, too makes his comeback.

While there were no surprising inclusions, the omission of players like Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, and Mohammed Shami came as a surprise to many. Among these names, Kishan’s exclusion felt a bit harsh on the player who has been among the leading run-scorers for India in the T20I this year.

Heartbroken with the snub, Kishan posted a cryptic story on Instagram. He posted a picture of himself in the national jersey, with the song ‘Humble Poet’ by rapper Bella playing in the background. He shared a few lines of the song, where the rapper is talking about rising over hate and overcoming all obstacles. 

Earlier this year, Team India employed him as an opening partner to the captain Rohit Sharma in over a dozen of games. Against South Africa in the five-match T20I series, Kishan amassed over 200 runs at a terrific strike rate of 150.36. He also played a breezy cameo that helped India beat Ireland and opened the innings against England as well.

But he was unable to carry on with the form, and a string of low scores pushed him down in the pecking order. Kishan had scores of 27, 15, 3, 8, and 11 in the last five innings. In the last two matches against England, Kishan didn’t find a place in the playing XI, as India promoted Rishabh Pant to the top of the order. Against West Indies, Suryakumar Yadav opened the innings. 

It’s clear that Kishan has fallen out of favor, and the comeback of KL Rahul made it even harder for him to retain his place. The exclusion from the Asia Cup squad also meant he is now not in contention for the T20I World Cup In Australia.

Lead Image: Ishan Kishan/Instagram