Sai Kishore’s 2026 season has produced a curious contrast. While the left-arm spinner has been impressing English crowds for Gloucestershire, his name has been absent from India’s major domestic representative squads.
In August, Gloucestershire shared a video of Sai Kishore bowling Brett D’Oliveira, with the delivery pitching well outside leg before turning sharply enough to hit off stump. Days later, he produced another memorable dismissal, bowling Ben Stokes on a surface where the pitch and outfield were difficult to distinguish.
Then came an extraordinary spell against Derbyshire. Sai Kishore bowled eight overs and returned figures of 5/6, underlining the value he can bring even in English conditions.
The irony was that while he was making an impression in England, his Indian domestic campaign was moving on without him. Sai was left out of the South Zone squad for the 2026 Duleep Trophy. The decision was based largely on the previous Ranji season, where Sai Kishore took 20 wickets in six matches, compared with 27 for Thyagarajan and 24 for Vijay.
But a broader look at his record tells a different story.
Since the start of the 2022-23 Ranji season, Sai Kishore has taken 126 wickets in 26 matches at an average of 23.16. He has also established himself as a significant T20 bowler, giving him a résumé that extends beyond his red-ball numbers. His omission from the Duleep Trophy also had a knock-on effect. With no place in the zonal tournament, there was no immediate route into the India A setup. When an opening subsequently emerged after Vipraj Nigam was pulled out, Vijay received the call instead.
That left Sai Kishore outside several representative groups at once, including India A and Rest of India, while India’s other squads were spread across the Asian Games and West Indies series.
The situation is particularly striking because Sai Kishore was previously part of India’s wider plans. He has also already experienced county cricket, taking 11 wickets in two matches for Surrey in 2025 before joining Gloucestershire this season.
None of this necessarily means the selectors have closed the door on him. Selection involves more than cumulative wicket tallies, with team balance, recent performances and future planning all playing a role. But Sai Kishore’s case raises an uncomfortable question about how sustained domestic excellence is being valued.
For now, the 29-year-old is back in England, where his performances are providing another reminder of what he can do with a cricket ball. At home, however, he is still waiting for the next call.
