Srinagar: Amid uncertainty over future of youngster Ishan Kishan in International cricket, there is now a glimmer of hope for his comeback as BCCI is likely to give lefthander a chance to resume his red ball cricket career ahead of Bangladesh Test.
After being denied a central contract by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) earlier in February this year, Ishan was neither named in any of the Indian squads, including the T20 World Cup, since then, nor was his possible return addressed during Gautam Gambhir’s first press conference as the head coach of the men’s team.
Now according to a report in Cricbuzz earlier this month, Ishan, who was sidelined for opting out of the Ranji Trophy last year, made himself available for the upcoming domestic season after being counselled by national selectors, and has already been included in the list of 25 pre-season probables by the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA).
News 18 later reported that the wicketkeeper-batter will play for Jharkhand in the Buchi Babu invitational tournament, which begins on August 15 in Chennai.
However, a fresh report in the Indian Express on Monday indicated that the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is likely to pick Ishan for the Duleep Trophy, which will begin on September 5 and end on the 24th.
The domestic tournament, which will also feature the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and other India regulars, will play a key role when the selectors sit to pick the 15-member squad for the Test series against Bangladesh, which will begin on September 19.
The report added that the selectors want Ishan to resume his red-ball career if he wants to stage a comeback to the Indian side.
Earlier, Shreyas Iyer, who was also denied a contract like Ishan on similar grounds, made a return to the Indian team during the ODI series against Sri Lanka earlier this month.
It may have long been indicated that Pujara and Rahane will no longer be in reckoning for a place in the Indian squad, and it was further established on Monday after the Indian Express report added that the selectors won’t consider the two veteran batters for the Duleep Trophy. While Pujara was among the top run-getters in the Ranji Trophy last season, an out-of-form Rahane led Mumbai to a title win. However, the selectors are more keen on giving Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel opportunities to fill their shoes.