Ishan Kishan to lead Jharkhand in upcoming Buchi Babu Trophy: Report

New Delhi [India], August 13 (ANI): India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan will lead Jharkhand in the forthcoming Buchi Babu Trophy in Tamil Nadu, according to Espncricinfo. Buchi Babu Trophy is a long-format cricket tournament that will kick off on August 15. Earlier, Kishan was not a part of Jharkhand's squad, however, he will join the side in Chennai on Wednesday, according to the report.

It will be the step for the 26-year-old's first step to make a comeback in first-class cricket before being added to the India squad for the upcoming Test series. According to ESPNcricinfo, Kishan was drafted to the Buchi Babu Trophy when he asked the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA).

"With Ishan, it was never about ability. It was only about whether he was ready to return. The decision was with him. When he was not included in the initial list, it was only because we hadn't heard from him. The moment he expressed his keenness to return, he was drafted in," a JSCA official was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying.

It has been a turbulent year for Kishan in terms of his career. Earlier this year, along with Shreyas Iyer, Kishan was excluded from the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) central contracts. Kishan skipped Ranji Trophy matches recently despite not featuring for the national team. He was a part of the Indian squad for the South Africa Test series squad last year but pulled out due to 'personal reasons'. He last played a T20I for India in November last year, sitting out Ranji matches featuring Jharkhand.

After being snubbed from the contract list, Kishan made his return to competitive cricket while playing for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in the 18th DY Patil T20 Cup 2024 against Route Mobile Limited. On his return, Kishan played a part in one dismissal as he stumped Sumit Dhekale off Sayan Mondal at the DY Patil University Ground.

With the bat, he entertained for a bit as he made 19 off 12 balls, including two boundaries and a six. He went on to feature for the five-time champion Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. In 14 matches, the wicketkeeper-batter racked up 320 runs at an average of 22.86, scoring at a strike rate of 148.84.

In the T20I format, Kishan has made 32 appearances and struck 796 runs at an average of 25.7, striking at 124.4. In the ODI format, he has played 27 matches and scored 933 runs at an average of 42.4 at a strike rate of 102.2, including one hundred and seven fifties. In red-ball cricket, he has made two appearances, scoring 78 runs at a strike rate of 85.7 and scoring at 78.0. (ANI)