India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan and a few other contracted players will check into the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru next week for strength and conditioning related work ahead of the full tour against West Indies. India will play two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is against West Indies starting July 12, for which Rohit Sharma’s team is slated to depart on July 3.
Normally, when there is a gap between two international series, the centrally-contracted and targeted players, who are not a part of any domestic tournaments, are called at the NCA to have an update on their fitness status.
With the Duleep Trophy scheduled to be held entirely in Bengaluru from June 28 and the final to be played from July 12-16, Kishan had opted out of the season-opening domestic red-ball tournament.
With East Zone taking on Central Zone in the first quarter-final at Alur in Bengaluru, the 24-year-old had the opportunity to play one game with the red ball before the Indian team’s departure for the Caribbean. The one-off game would have given Kishan a chance to push his case for selection in the Test team, especially when the incumbent KS Bharat is struggling to make a mark with the bat. But Kishan had opted out of the Duleep Trophy a couple of days ago.
Kishan’s last competitive match was in the IPL for Mumbai Indians on May 26, and if he is not selected in the playing XI for Tests, his next game will be the ODI series opener against West Indies on July 27 at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
