Out-of-favour India cricketer Ishan Kishan signed a short-term deal with County Division Two side Nottinghamshire. He replaced South Africa keeper-batter Kyle Verreynne, who is out with international duty. In his first County game against Yorkshire, the keeper-batter was spotted celebrating with Pakistan’s Mohammad Abbas, who is also part of the Nottinghamshire squad.
Notably, during the match, Kishan picked up a good catch to dismiss Adam Lyth off Abbas’ bowling. Later, the duo celebrated together, and the moment went viral on social media. More so, because of the recent tension on the India-Pakistan border.
Meanwhile, this was only the sixth occasion when an Indian and Pakistani player shared a dressing room in County cricket. The first instance of its kind occurred in the 1970s, when Bishan Singh Bedi featured for Northamptonshire alongside Mushtaq Mohammad and Sarfraz Nawaz. After a long gap, the early 2000s saw three similar occurrences, all involving Surrey.
In 2004, Zaheer Khan played alongside Azhar Mahmood; in 2005, Harbhajan Singh was part of the squad with Mahmood and Mohammed Akram; and in 2006, Anil Kumble joined the side with one of the same two Pakistani players always being in the playing XI. More recently, in 2022, Cheteshwar Pujara and Mohammad Rizwan played together for Sussex.
Kishan kicks off County stint in style
Kishan had an impressive outing in his County debut. Batting at number six, the 26-year-old made 87 runs off 98 deliveries. His fearless approach gave stability to Nottinghamshire’s batting, which was looking shaky at one point. Four other players scored a half-century for Nottinghamshire, as they posted 487 runs in the first innings at Trent Bridge.
Finlay Bean played an extraordinary knock of 224 runs in the second innings as Yorkshire posted 510 runs, taking a 23-run lead. Nottinghamshire had a strong start to the third innings, but as there wasn’t enough time left, the match ended on level terms.
