Jharkhand wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan has had a terrific turnaround in his international career over the last one year or so after getting sidelined by the team management at the start of 2024. He was even ousted from the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s Central contract list which made everyone wonder if he will return to the Indian team again or not.
There were a few disciplinary and communicational issues regarding the left-hand batter, whose temporary exit from the national side got confirmed after he requested for a mental fatigue break during India’s tour of South Africa in late 2023.
Ishan Kishan went on to even skip the Ranji Trophy despite BCCI’s clear mandate for players to prioritise domestic cricket when not on international duty. Kishan’s absence communicated only one thing to the selectors – that he is not ready or not wanting to make himself available for selection and that’s why got dropped completely for more than a year or so.
While India tasted success in the 2024 T20 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy, Ishan Kishan remained on the sidelines and watched the team doing commendably well without him. That would have definitely hurt him a lot, even if he never admitted that himself.
With absolutely all doors closed, the only way out for Kishan was to grind hard in the domestic circuit in order to stage a national team return and that’s what he did. The left-hander spent the full 2025-26 season with Jharkhand and even led them to their first-ever Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy.
Ishan Kishan finished the tournament as the highest run-getter (517) with 100 of those runs coming in the finale itself against Haryana, who were handed a 69-run defeat. Just a few weeks later, Kishan was called up to the Indian T20I side for a five-match series against New Zealand right before the ICC T20 World Cup earlier this year.
He scored a half-century and a century in the series which confirmed his spot in the Indian T20 World Cup squad and the rest is history. Kishan became a key part of India’s successful title defense and the Jharkhand batter has been a part of the national side since then.
In fact, he was also handed an ODI return by the team management but one question that still lingers is if he will return to the longest format again or not.
The two Tests against the West Indies back in 2023 remain his only appearances but when asked if he would like to be a part of the longest format or not, Kishan did not have any doubts.
“One hundred percent. Anyone who has played Test cricket would love this format. We know its importance and how it helps one get better. People don’t believe me , but I really do enjoy red-ball cricket. My only job is to score runs and make my team win,” Ishan Kishan told the Indian Express.
Ishan Kishan then opened up about his love for the format, stating that he enjoys the challenge when the red-ball moves and opponents come at them.
“I love this game (red ball). I enjoy it because when you are in the middle, the ball is moving, players are coming at you, there is banter going on with the other team. It’s always fun to be part of it because I love that challenge,” Kishan added.
Even though his desire is to return, Ishan Kishan knows that the path won’t be easier, particularly due to the presence of Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant, who are in scintillating forms in the on-going Test series in Sri Lanka. Kishan also knows what he needs to do as he believes that improving himself everyday will surely open his path.
“I need a lot of effort to get back in the Test team. Dhruv and Rishabh are doing so well. They are continuously scoring runs. I’m very happy for both of them. At the same time, my job is to not think about what can go wrong for them, but to keep getting better. If it’s meant to happen, it will,” Kishan concluded.