Returning to first-class cricket for the first time since July 2023, Ishan Kishan hit a hundred in the Duleep Trophy.
Playing against India B in a Duleep Trophy 2024 match at Anantapur, Ishan Kishan of India C celebrated his comeback to first-class cricket with a hundred.
The match began in unusual manner. After India B won the toss and opted to bowl, India C captain Ruturaj Gaikwad retired hurt after facing only two balls. Sai Sudharsan (43) and Rajat Patidar (40) then took the score to 96 before both fell at the space of one run.
Kishan took on an attack consisting of three Test bowlers (Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Washington Sundar), two other international bowlers (Sai Kishore, Rahul Chahar), and one more who was part of the national squad (Nitish Kumar Reddy), and breezed to his hundred in quick time.
At the time of writing, he was on 104 on 122 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes. Providing him company was Baba Indrajith (62 in 122 balls, six fours). India C were 271-2.
Kishan had last played first-class cricket in July 2023 – two Test matches on India’s tour of the West Indies. He hit 52 not out in 34 balls in his last innings, at Port of Spain, as India pressed hard for a quick declaration. Later in the year, Kishan was also part of India’s World Cup squad, where he got two outings.
However, as India embarked on their two-Test series in South Africa later that year, Kishan took a two-month break from Test cricket. With KS Bharat’s batting a concern, KL Rahul kept wicket for India for the first time. When Rahul got injured and Bharat did not leave a mark, India called up Dhruv Jurel during their home Test series against India.
Kishan fell off the radar, especially after opting out of the Ranji Trophy despite BCCI secretary Jay Shah’s insistence on contracted cricketers playing domestic first-class cricket. The BCCI left him out of their list of centrally contracted cricketers.
He finally returned to red-ball cricket during the Buchi Babu Trophy in August, hitting a 107-ball 114 against Madhya Pradesh. Picked for the initial Duleep Trophy squads, he missed the first round due to an accident, and – following a bizarre confusion over which team he was supposed to play for – hit a hundred.
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