“I’ve been through this” – AB de Villiers opens up on Ishan Kishan saga ahead of IND vs ENG 3rd Test

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has opened up on the Ishan Kishan saga ahead of the upcoming third Test between India and England in Rajkot, which starts on February 15.

The legendary Proteas batter pointed out that he also found it challenging to manage his career with too much cricket in the modern era, especially with the growth of T20 leagues worldwide.

De Villiers called it a human reaction as players choose to take a break but pointed out that Test cricket remains the ultimate form of the game. The 39-year-old said on his YouTube channel:

“Very interesting scenario there in India and I’ve been through this quite a bit throughout my career as well. It’s a very tricky situation. Players trying to manage their careers, and rightfully so, but the difficulty around this is that there are a lot of T20 leagues around the world, IPL, and it’s taking up a lot of attention of the player's focus is on that.”

De Villiers added:

Very difficult because the ultimate format of the game is still Test cricket and all Test-playing nations really wanna look after the Test format, so there’s a bit of force in all kinds of directions here.

"Guys, you do run out of energy, and once you run out of energy, you tend to go in your defensive mode and into a shell where you look after what you feel is important to you, and that’s a human reaction.”

Ishan Kishan withdrew from India’s Test squad ahead of the two-match Test series in South Africa last year. The wicketkeeper-batter was also ommitted from the India squad for the first two Tests against England. He then failed to find a place in the squad for the remaining three Tests.

“What needs to happen is proper communication” – AB de Villiers on Ishan Kishan saga

AB de Villiers further pointed out that proper and regular communication with selectors and team management is the key to managing a player’s career.

The comments came as Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has said that Kishan needs to play some form of cricket to make his Test comeback. However, Kishan was seen practicing with new Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya and Lucknow Super Giants deputy Krunal Pandya in Baroda for the upcoming Indian Premier League season.

De Villiers said:

“So, whether Ishan is doing it wrong or other players are doing it right or wrong, I don’t know but what needs to happen is proper communication. So, the players know exactly what, not only proper communication but proper and regular communication.

"I just wanna wish all the players the very best because managing the career is something I found extremely difficult in the backend of my career.”

The cricketer-turned-commentator continued:

“It’s not an easy thing to manage. It starts with communication, real clear communication between selectors, coaching staff, and the BCCI and the players. People need to know where they stand and that is something expected of them.”

As per reports, Ishan Kishan will next play for MI in the 2024 IPL season.