Ishan Kishan, one of the promising young talents of India, made a striking return into red-ball cricket during the ongoing 2024 edition of the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament. He has been at his best right from the word go, making everyone remember why he’s considered special in the longest format of the game despite being absent from it for quite a while now. He has been exceptional behind the stumps with his display of agility, sharp reflexes and great focus; all of which constitute the essential qualities for a wicketkeeper.
The first game of the tournament had Ishan Kishan play opponents Madhya Pradesh at the India Cements Limited Cricket Ground in Sankar Nagar. In the 15th over of Day 1, Kishan pulled off a breathtaking catch, which left onlookers in disbelief. He bent low to his left and picked up a sharp edge off Shubham S. Kushwah, batting confidently, with 84 off 171 balls.
Ishan Kishan juggled the ball in his first attempt at the catch but recovered fast enough to hold it on the second to ensure the crucial dismissal of Kushwah. And Kishan wasn’t done by then. He had turned this into a catch on the leg side equally well. He dived full stretch to see off Ramveer Gurjar, and this furthered the hollow of Madhya Pradesh.
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The young wicket-keeper helped Jharkhand go on to restrict Madhya Pradesh to 225 runs in 89.5 overs, having gotten eight wickets—testimony of the impact from Kishan behind the stumps. If Kishan performs well in this match, it will decidedly be a defining moment for his career in cricket, particularly now when he is striving to claw back a place in the Indian Test team.
Our kaptaan sahab took 3 superb catches today & JK bowlers conceeded only 225 runs in 90 overs with 8 wickets 😎💯#BuchiBabuTournament pic.twitter.com/kdXLvhuT1k
— RS (@vividrs18) August 15, 2024
The last time Kishan played Test cricket for India was in July 2023, against the West Indies. More importantly, though, his name was missing from the BCCI’s recent central contract list, which was triggered by the fact that for almost a year now, he has barely featured in domestic cricket.
Despite that setback, Kishan’s return to form in the Buchi Babu Tournament could well prove to be the fillip he needs to get back into the national team radar.There was further confusing signals from the BCCI and its secretary Jay Shah regarding the situation pertaining to Kishan being left out of the central contract list.
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Although he was supposed to get in more domestic cricket, the board’s directives seemed against this, which was why he was omitted from the list. More importantly, Kishan is yet to feature in the Indian jersey in 2024; his last appearance came during the T20I series against Australia in November 2023. His outings have been impressive with the domestic circuit, but he and the fans, similarly to a few selectors, would also want to see whether recent performances are going to catch the eye.
