Months after disappearing from the national team and being ousted from a central contract by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) earlier in February, Ishan Kishan is most likely to make a return on the grounds.
Ahead of the Bangladesh Test series in September, Kishan may get a golden opportunity to stage a comeback to the Indian side.
Kishan’s last test appearance:
Kishan was last part of the Test squad during India’s Tour of South Africa in December 2023. He was expected to play domestic cricket while away from the national team, but Kishan was absent from his state team, Jharkhand’s Ranji Trophy matches.
Despite then-India’s head coach Rahul Dravid mentioning that he needed to play some form of cricket to regain his place in the Indian squad, Kishan ignored this.
Kishan agrees to BCCI’s norms:
According to a report in Cricbuzz, Kishan has made himself available for the upcoming domestic season as national selectors counselled him. He has already been included in the list of 25 pre-season probables by the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA).
The following development arrived weeks after BCCI secretary Jay Shah directed all available players to play for their respective states when not on national duty.
In the meantime, Kishan will play for Jharkhand in the Buchi Babu invitational tournament from 15 August in Chennai, reported News18.
On Monday, the Indian Express published a report stating that the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is likely to pick Ishan for the Duleep Trophy, which will begin on 5 September and end on 24 September. Senior players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and others will play in that trophy, and from this, the selection committee will pick the 15-member squad for the Test series against Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, senior fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s prolonged rest will likely continue.
In that report, it was cited that if Ishan wants to stage a comeback to the Indian side, he will have to resume his red-ball career first.