Watch: Ishan Kishan had mixed luck on his return to cricket in the DY Patil T20 Cup today (February 27), hitting a six off Maxwell Swaminathan before getting out caught from his next ball.

Kishan’s absence from elite level cricket has been under scrutiny this week after BCCI secretary Jay Shah wrote a letter to Indian cricketers, stressing that “performance in domestic cricket remains a critical yardstick for selection and non-participation in domestic cricket will carry severe implications”. The letter came following the absence of both Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from key Ranji Trophy matches.

Kishan took a personal break from cricket in December last year during India’s tour of South Africa. He has not played in the Ranji Trophy since despite training with Hardik Pandya in Baroda. Speaking after India’s win over England in the fourth Test match of the series, Rohit Sharma said India would only select players who “have the hunger” to play Test cricket, with the implication that players have to prove themselves in domestic red ball cricket to win Test selection.

Following Rohit’s comments, Kishan returned to competitive cricket by stepping out in the DY Patil T20 Cup in Navi, Mumbai. He made 19 off 12 balls and hit a six over long on along the way, but he was out the next ball after he cleared the boundary, slapping a full ball straight to mid wicket.

Watch: Ishan Kishan hits six, gets out next ball

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