Ishan Kishan smashes a six on his way to 86-ball hundred in opening round of Buchi Babu tournament

Team India keeper-batter Ishan Kishan has made a thunderous return to domestic cricket as he struck an 86-ball century in the opening round of the Buchi Babu Trophy match between Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh. The southpaw smacked a six over long-off to reach the magical three-figure mark.

The left-handed batter hasn't played for India since the T20I series against Australia in November. The 26-year-old didn't make an appearance in the Ranji Trophy despite repeated instructions by the BCCI and the selectors to do so. Ishan also opted out of the Test series against South Africa and was subsequently dropped out of BCCI's central contract list along with Shreyas Iyer.

Meanwhile, he turned up for Jharkhand in the Buchi Babu Trophy and walked out to bat at No. 6 on Day 2 of the fixture after Madhya Pradesh got bowled out for 225. The youngster reached his half-century off 61 deliveries before teeing off.

Ishan Kishan could be picked in India's Test squad but unlikely to be the first-choice keeper-batter

Ishan Kishan (Image Credits: Getty)

Meanwhile, the Bihar-born cricketer has an opportunity to be in the Test squad for the home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, along with Dhruv Jurel. However, Rishabh Pant's return to the international fold means he will take the keeping gloves back. It will also be Pant's first Test since December 2022 when he suffered a life-threatening car accident.

The upcoming Test series against Bangladesh and New Zealand are also part of the World Test Championship (WTC), with India leading the standings currently. After hosting Bangladesh and New Zealand across five Tests on home soil, India will head to Australia for a blockbuster five-Test rubber. India have been in both WTC finals contested so far, losing the first to New Zealand and the second to Australia.

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