“That was a celebration maybe to Rohit Sharma” - Former captain’s huge claim on Ishan Kishan after SRH vs RR IPL 2025 match

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has suggested that Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter Ishan Kishan's extravagant celebration after scoring a hundred on his franchise debut could have a deeper meaning than sheer joy. The left-handed batter was at his destructive best, scoring an unbeaten 106 off 47 deliveries in the 44-run win over the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday, March 23.

The Orange Army had roped in Ishan Kishan for INR 11.25 crore after being released by the Mumbai Indians (MI) during the off-season. Batting at No.3, he made the most of the fiery start laid down by Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, by going hard from the outset.

The hundred on debut comes as a major milestone for Kishan, who has had a rough time of late. The wicket-keeper batter lost his BCCI contract in early 2024, and a mediocre 2024 IPL campaign meant that he was not in the scheme of things for the T20 World Cup, or any of the assignments since then.

Vaughan opined that Kishan's wild celebrations were meant as a statement to his former franchise MI, and the decision-makers of the Indian team.

"That celebration wasn't just a celebration for three figures today. That was a celebration maybe to Mumbai, maybe to the chairman of selectors, maybe to Rohit Sharma, maybe to the whole of India, maybe to the whole of the world. He's a wonderfully balanced player," Vaughan said on Cricbuzz (via Hindustan Times).

Ishan Kishan has not played for Team India since November 2023. He was last seen during the bilateral series against Australia at home. Since then, he has lost his spot on the bench across both white-ball teams. He was considered as the first-choice wicket-keeper in Tests for a brief time during Rishabh Pant's prolonged absence, but was replaced by Dhruv Jurel eventually.

"You'd be saying, sorry, Ishan, you're not even in the top five at the moment" - Michael Vaughan on the selection headache in Team India's T20I setup

The current Indian setup already has a stacked unit when it comes to the shortest format. The 2025 IPL is bound to grow the player pool for the 2026 T20 World Cup on home soil, and Kishan faces stiff competition from his peers in a bid to make a comeback to the national setup.

"I'd love to be the chairman of selectors. The meetings would be long because you have so many players to talk about, and you'd be saying, sorry, Ishan, you're not even in the top five at the moment. The talent pool in Indian cricket is monstrous. And the only way you can push yourselves into that setup is by doing remarkable things. And in T20 cricket, I think of all the formats to get a century at T20 cricket is the hardest format to get it," Vaughan said (as per the aforementioned source).

SRH are scheduled to face the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) next at their home venue on Thursday, March 27.