India’s wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan is set to return to domestic cricket as captain of the Jharkhand team in the upcoming Buchi Babu Trophy. Kishan whose last appearance in red-ball cricket was against West Indies will be seen in action when Jharkhand take on Madhya Pradesh in round 1 of the pre-season tournament in Tamil Nadu starting August 15.
As per a report by ESPNCricinfo, Kishan was not named in the initial squad as they were awaiting his confirmation.
"With Ishan, it was never about ability," a JSCA functionary said. "It was only about whether he was ready to return. The decision was with him. When he was not included in the initial list, it was only because we hadn't heard from him. The moment he expressed his keenness to return, he was drafted in."
Kishan to play Duleep Trophy too
Earlier, a report stated that Kishan has been told by the selectors that if he intends to return to the national side, he needs to play red-ball cricket. After leading Jharkhand in the Buchi Babu Trophy, Kishan will be seen in action in the Duleep Trophy 2024 where many stalwarts are stated to play including Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The teams will be selected by the senior selection committee. A total of four teams will compete in Duleep Trophy starting next month ahead of India’s two-Test series against Bangladesh.
Why Kishan lost central contract
Last year, Kishan was dropped from the list of centrally contracted players along with Shreyas Iyer. The decision was a result of him not turning up for Jharkhand in Ranji Trophy. He had asked for a break due to mental fatigue and left the South Africa tour midway. After spending time with family, he practiced in Gujarat but did not play Ranji Trophy and prepared for the Indian Premier League (IPL) alongside Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya.
Kishan’s numbers in First-Class format
The 26-year-old has played just two Tests so far on the Caribbean tour where he scored an unbeaten half-century in one of the three innings. In First-Class cricket, the southpaw has a decent record with 3,063 runs from 85 innings at an average of 39.26. He has six centuries and 17 fifties to his name in the format.
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