India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan will mark his return to domestic red-ball cricket during the upcoming first round of Duleep Trophy. Kishan, who last played a domestic game in 2022, will be part of Team D, which will be led by star batter Ishan Kishan. However, prior to the start of Duleep Trophy, which kicks off on September 2024, Kishan will lead Jharkhand Buchi Babu tournament. Kishan last played for India during the T20I series against Australia in Novemeber 2023.

Kishan was also part of the team for the subsequent tour of South Africa, but pulled out of the squad citing personal reasons. 

However, he skipped the Ranji Trophy matches towards the end of the 2023-24 season, and this proved costly for him, as he was removed from the central contract list for not prioritising domestic cricket.

In a recent interaction, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah was asked to share his views on the procedure of integrating Kishan back into the Indian side.

In his response, Shah re-iterated former India head coach Rahul Dravid‘s advice, urging the youngster to focus on the upcoming Duleep Trophy, which marks the start of the new domestic season.

“He will have to follow the rules. He will have to play domestic cricket,” Shah told Times of India.

Meanwhile, the Duleep Trophy, which marks the beginning of red-ball cricket in the domestic season, will see some of the finest players from the international circuit and some of the young and emerging talent compete at the highest level. The tournament is set to begin from September 5, 2024, in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh and M Chinnaswamy stadium, Bengaluru.

Earlier, it was reported that senior players might be picked for the Duleep Trophy. However, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin have not been picked. Rinku Singh is also not part of the teams.

Shubman Gill, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shreyas lyer are the four captains of the four teams.

Kishan, who was not part of Jharkhand’s original long list, took the decision to participate, and he was drafted in when he communicated this to the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA).

Kishan has featured in two Tests, 17 ODIs and 11 T20Is in 2023. He was also part of India’s squad during their run to the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, and featured in two matches at the top of the order when Shubman Gill was out ill.

(With PTI Inputs)