Ishan Kishan set to lead Jharkhand in Buchi Babu Tournament

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Ishan Kishan is set to lead Jharkhand in the Buchi Babu tournament, a pre-season red-ball competition in Tamil Nadu starting August 15. Initially not part of Jharkhand's squad, Kishan will join the team in Chennai on Wednesday. This marks his first step back into first-class cricket.

Kishan's decision to participate was communicated to the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA), leading to his inclusion. He aims to return to the Ranji Trophy during the 2024-25 season. His last domestic first-class game was in December 2022.

The wicketkeeper-batter had stayed away from the Ranji Trophy towards the end of the 2023-24 domestic season, which cost him his spot on the BCCI central contracts list.

"With Ishan, it was never about ability. It was only about whether he was ready to return," a JSCA official was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo.

Kishan made his Test debut during India's tour of the West Indies last year when Rishabh Pant was recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident in December 2022. The second Test of that Caribbean tour, in July 2023, remains Kishan's last first-class game.

India is heading into a long Test season with ten games over the next five months, but Kishan's comeback won't be easy. He was picked for the 2023-24 South Africa tour but asked to be released due to mental fatigue.

"When you take a break, people gossip about it a lot," Kishan said in April about his time away from cricket.