Ishan KishanThere was a time when Ishan Kishan’s India career appeared to be halted. An exciting young wicketkeeper-batter who had played across formats and produced spectacular white-ball performances
suddenly found himself outside the national setup. He was left out of the BCCI’s central contract list in early 2024 after the board stressed the importance of domestic cricket for players not involved with India.
For someone who once looked like a key player of India’s future, it was a significant fall. Two years later, the story looks remarkably different. Kishan is back in India’s white-ball plans, played an important role in India’s 2026 T20 World Cup triumph by scoring 317 runs in the tournament, returned to the ODI squad, and is now making a serious case for another chance in Test cricket.
The comeback started away from the spotlight
Ishan Kishan’s way back was not built on one spectacular innings. He returned to domestic cricket and gradually rebuilt his case. In the 2025-26 season he scored plenty in the Ranji Trophy and made 517 runs at an average of 57.44, strike rate 197.32, including two centuries and two fifties in 10 innings, as Jharkhand won their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title under his captaincy.
Those performances helped him regain his place in India’s white-ball squads and earn another BCCI central contract. By the start of 2026, he was back in India’s T20I plans, then returned to the ODI squad. The most interesting part of the comeback has been his approach. Speaking about the period away from India, Kishan said he actually enjoyed returning to domestic cricket. The time forced him to rediscover a different side of his game.
That change was visible in the Duleep Trophy final. Kishan produced a mammoth 270 against South Zone for East Zone, batting 522 minutes and facing 334 deliveries. He smashed 30 fours and seven sixes, helped his side post 708, and shared a key 230-run partnership with Kumar Kushagra (101).
Kishan has already proved he can return in limited-overs cricket. The next challenge is Test cricket. His 270 has made the conversation impossible to ignore, but it does not guarantee selection. Rishabh Pant remains India’s first-choice wicketkeeper when fit, while Dhruv Jurel is another established option and KL Rahul provides wicketkeeping flexibility. So Kishan still has a difficult road ahead but his performances in the last few years across formats have revived his international career.
