'Guys run out of energy' - AB de Villiers throws weight behind Ishan Kishan amidst criticism

Former South African cricket maestro AB de Villiers has shed light on the contentious situation surrounding India’s wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan.

De Villiers addressed the challenge of managing a cricket career in the modern era, particularly with the proliferation of T20 leagues globally. He also acknowledged the struggle of balancing commitments and expressed empathy for players opting to take breaks. He emphasised that while T20 leagues like the IPL command attention, Test cricket remains the pinnacle of the sport.

“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,” said de Villiers on his official YouTube channel.

Also read: Reports: Ishan Kishan unhappy with team management considering Jitesh Sharma for T20Is

Highlighting the taxing nature of a cricketer’s schedule, he pointed out that players can reach a point of exhaustion, leading them to adopt a defensive stance and prioritise what they deem essential—a human reaction.

“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,” he added.

Also read: Ishan Kishan needs to start playing to be considered for selection: Rahul Dravid

The discussion comes in the wake of Ishan Kishan's withdrawal from India’s Test squad ahead of the South Africa series last year and subsequent omission from the England Tests. The situation underscores the delicate balance modern-day cricketers must strike between various formats, with Test cricket standing out as the priority. As cricket enthusiasts eagerly await the Rajkot Test, the intersection of player workload management and the allure of T20 leagues continues to be a talking point in the cricketing world.

Also Read: Reports: BCCI ponders over putting 3-4 Ranji games cap for IPL eligibility after Ishan Kishan's curious case