India’s wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan was touted as the next big thing. Kishan smashed a double century but still did not find a place in the ODI side. He and Shreyas Iyer were not given central contracts after not turning up for their respective Ranji teams. But, Kishan has made amends. He is one of the centrally-contracted players but still hasn’t done enough to get his place in the squad in any of the formats amidst cut-throat competition for wicketkeeper-batter spots. On the opening day of Ranji Trophy 2025-26, Kishan scored a century for Jharkhand against Tamil Nadu in Coimbatore. After the end of Day 1’s play, he opened about continued snub from selectors.
“Maturity is when you understand that wherever you are is the most important place. These matches will only help me get to the Indian team,” Kishan said as quoted by Sportstar.
Kishan who took a break from cricket midway through South Africa tour said that his mindset is different now. As the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has suggested all players, he is back to the domestic grind to have a chance for comeback.
“My mindset was pretty different two years ago. But right now, I feel at this stage, you need to be very smart of what you are doing. You need to understand the importance of Ranji Trophy. You need to understand the importance of these matches when you play against big teams,” the Jharkhand captain said.
Kishan plays captain’s knock
Jharkhand were struggling as Gurjapneet Singh struck thrice. Kishan weathered the storm and got support from lower-order batter Sahil Raj. From 157/6, they shared an unbeaten 150-run partnership for the seventh wicket on Day 1.
Kishan returned to the pavilion unbeaten for 125 off 183 balls, featuring 14 fours and two sixes. On the other end, Raj scored 64 runs from 105 balls, including six fours and a couple of sixes.
Kishan’s last international appearance
The 27-year-old's last international appearance was against Australia in a T20I clash in November 2023 where he bagged a five-ball duck.
Last month, Kishan wasn’t picked for India A series at home against Australia A. He played in the Irani Cup instead where he registered scores of 1 and 35.
Agarkar’s message to Kishan last month
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar wants Kishan to show some performances to be back in contention for the wicketkeeper spot. Kishan would’ve made his return on England tour but he was injured and Narayan Jagadeesan got his maiden call-up.
"Yeah, he's in the Irani Trophy team, yes. When we picked India A, he was not yet fit anyway. So he's fit now. He's a very good player as we know Ishan Kishan, but we'd like him to play a bit more cricket and show some performances," Agarkar had said in a press conference.
Jagadeesan is yet to make his Test debut but retained his place in the squad in the recently-concluded Test series against West Indies. When Rishabh Pant regains fitness, Jagadeesan is likely to get dropped from the Test squad.