That is some way to return to domestic cricket. Ishan Kishan has scored an 86-ball century against Madhya Pradesh in the Buchi Babu Tournament. The southpaw had decided to opt out of the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season and had faced quite some flak from the BCCI, including losing his central contract.
Red-ball, white-ball Ishan Kishan hits it all
Persuaded by selectors to return to domestic cricket, he decided to play some red-ball cricket in Tamil Nadu. The southpaw was at his belligerent best after coming in to bat at 108/3. Jharkhand were trailing by 113 runs when he entered, and by the time he left, they were leading by 27.
Given the responsibility of leading Jharkhand, Kishan got to his half-century in 61 balls and scored the next fifty runs in just 37 balls. At one stage, he hit 9 sixes in the space of 39 balls as Jharkhand went sailing past Madhya Pradesh’s first-inning score of 225.
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Kishan eyes India return
Buchi Babu won’t be the only first-class tournament Kishan is going to play. The southpaw batter has been selected for the upcoming Duleep Trophy as well, where he’ll play under Shreyas Iyer and fight with KS Bharat for the wicketkeeper spot.
With Test series’ against Bangladesh and New Zealand coming in the next couple of months, Kishan would be looking to audition for Team India’s wicketkeeper spot in the Duleep Trophy. Rishabh Pant would likely be India’s wicketkeeper, and Dhruv Jurel has also moved ahead of Kishan in the pecking order by performing against England earlier in the year. If he wishes to make a return, he’ll look to continue his Buchi Babu form next month in the Duleep Trophy.
