[In pictures] Ishan Kishan offers prayers at Sai Baba Samadhi Mandir on his 26th birthday

Indian cricketer Ishan Kishan, who turned 26 on July 18, visited Sai Baba Samadhi Mandir in Shirdi to seek blessings. The left-handed player was last seen in action during the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Mumbai Indians (MI).

MI finished last in the points table, and Kishan didn’t have a productive season, managing only 320 runs at an average of 22.86 in 14 games.

He last played for India in a T20 game against Australia in late November 2023. Kishan took a break due to travel fatigue in December, missing the South Africa series, and hasn’t donned the Indian jersey since. After failing to show up for the domestic matches, the keeper-batter also lost his central contract.

The Jharkhand cricketer is now aiming for a comeback, as he recently shared a video training hard in the nets. In the meantime, he visited Sai Baba Samadhi Mandir to offer prayers on his birthday. Here are the pictures he shared from his visit to Shirdi:

Ishan Kishan has played in 32 T20Is, 27 ODIs, and two Tests for the nation. He holds the record for the fastest double century in ODIs (126 balls).

“It was depressing” – Ishan Kishan on losing central contract

Ishan Kishan claimed in a recent interview with the Indian Express that he was depressed about losing out on a central contract. The left-handed batter said he wasn’t feeling well and took a break but no one understood that apart from his family and close friends.

Kishan stated:

“It was depressing. Today I don’t want to say that everything was fine. It was not easy for me at all. You go through a lot. I was scoring runs and then I found myself on the bench. These things do happen in a team sport. But I experienced travel fatigue. It meant there was something wrong, I was not feeling well or right and so I decided to take a break. However, sadly, barring my family and few close people no one understood that.”

“What stresses you out is how your parents are taking it. How they are dealing with it. When you get to know that they are equally affected, it hurts you, and kills you from inside. But at that point in time, my family members were very supportive. They backed me and my decisions. They understood that I was not feeling well. They understood my situation,” he added.

Today (July 18), India will announce their team for the T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka, and it will be interesting to see if Ishan Kishan makes the cut.