Ishan Kishan is the third Indian cricketer within 10 days to ink a contract to play in the County Championship in England. They were preceded by Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma, who signed with Yorkshire and Hampshire, respectively. Kishan has now inked a short-term contract with Nottinghamshire, in which he will feature in two games.
Kishan Replaces South Africa's Kyle Verreynne
Kishan arrives as short-term replacement for South African wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne, who is travelling to Zimbabwe for a 2-match Test series this month. While he's away, Kishan will do the wicket-keeping for two County Championship games.
The first match will be against Yorkshire from June 22 to 26 at Trent Bridge, and the second against Somerset from June 29 to July 2 in Taunton.
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Despite the fact that Ruturaj Gaikwad will play for Yorkshire, he and Kishan will not have a battle as Gaikwad's tenure begins only in mid-July.
This action keeps Kishan match fit. He was not selected in India's Test team for the England series, with Dhruv Jurel being selected instead. But by staying in England and playing County cricket, Kishan remains on stand-by if India requires a replacement due to injury. Obtaining a UK visa again on short notice might have been problematic if he went home.
Kishan is also looking forward to playing County cricket for the very first time. He has played 58 games of first-class cricket, scoring 3447 runs with eight hundreds and 17 fifties, and also 118 catches and 11 stumpings.
In a release by Nottinghamshire CCC, Ishan Kishan said:
"I’m feeling very excited to get my first taste of playing county cricket in England, and it will be a great chance to showcase my skills. I want to make sure I am the best cricketer I can be, and playing in English conditions will really help me to learn new skills. Trent Bridge is such a famous ground that is well-known in India and around the world, and I am really excited that I will be playing there."
He becomes the latest addition to an increasing number of Indian players playing County cricket in 2024. Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, and Yuzvendra Chahal (returning to Northamptonshire this month) join him. Kishan will be hoping to get the best out of this opportunity in English weather.
