Jharkhand will be captained by Ishan Kishan, the keeper-batter in the Buchi Babu tournament, which is a red-ball preseason competition in Tamil Nadu that begins on August 15. Kishan, who wasn’t on Jharkhand’s initial long list, will meet the team on Wednesday in Chennai.

The action is said to be a precursor to the wicketkeeper-batter’s eventual full-fledged comeback to first-class cricket. It is learned that Kishan made the decision to play and that he informed the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) of his decision.

Kishan told the state selectors that he wanted to return, as the Ranji Trophy fold is anticipated to see him back during the 2024–25 season. He played in December 2022 in his last domestic first-class match. Towards the close of the 2023–24 domestic season, he abstained from the Ranji Trophy, which proved to be costly for him as the BCCI removed him from the central contracts list for failing to prioritize domestic cricket.

“With Ishan, it was never about ability,” a JSCA functionary said. “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.”

Kishan’s return to red-ball cricket coincides with India’s next long Test season, which will consist of ten matches spread over the following five months, but a return to the side won’t be simple. During India’s West Indies trip last year, as Rishabh Pant was healing from injuries he had incurred in a car accident in December 2022, Kishan made his Test debut.

Kishan’s last international game was back in July 2023 during the second Test of India’s trip to the Caribbean. He was also selected for the South Africa tour in 2023–24 as a member of the Test squad, however, he requested to be excluded from the squad due to mental exhaustion.

With Pant now back in action, and Jurel, who impressed with both his batting and glovework against England, particularly during a Player-of-the-Match display in Ranchi, has moved ahead of Kishan in India’s red-ball queue, which makes his return to the side a mountain to climb.

“When you take a break, people gossip about it a lot, they say a lot of things on social media,” Kishan had said in April, referring to his time away from the game. “But I feel it’s important to understand not everything is in players’ hands. We can only make the best use of the break.

“This is what adopting a good mindset is. There is nothing like I want to prove to someone. I just have to go there and enjoy. I have learned that you do not have to add pressure on yourself about these things, which are not in your hand.”