Ishan Kishan leads East Zone to Duleep quarterfinal win, eyes Test recall

Ishan Kishan led East Zone to an innings and 210-run victory over North East Zone in the Duleep Trophy quarterfinal in Bengaluru on Tuesday, advancing East to the semifinals. The 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batter said the long format remains a priority as he looks to work his way back into India’s Test side.

Kishan was an all-format India player in mid-2023, earning a Test debut in the West Indies that July after Rishabh Pant’s road accident and amid K.S. Bharat’s uneven form, and he was part of the limited-overs squads. Since that period he has not appeared in red-ball cricket for India and did not play a single white-ball international across 2024 and 2025. He regained selection for T20Is and ODIs at the start of 2026, but a Test recall has not materialised.

Reacting after the Duleep win, Kishan spoke about his preference for red-ball cricket, saying: "I love this game. I enjoy it because when you are in the middle, the ball is moving, players are coming at you, and there is banter." He contrasted that with batting on placid surfaces, adding: "It’s easier to bat on flat tracks and it’s fun as well, but competition in Tests is something different. People don’t believe me when I say that, but I really do enjoy red-ball cricket."

Kishan acknowledged that his white-ball workload limits his chances in first-class cricket, noting that prior to this match his last First Class appearance came more than nine months ago. The article states it is highly likely the Duleep Trophy will be his only exposure to the long format until early 2027.

On the challenge of reclaiming a Test spot, Kishan said: "That is the fun part actually," and stressed the hard work required: "You need to put a lot of effort to get back in the Test team. Dhruv [Jurel] is doing so well; Rishabh [Pant] is doing so well." He added: "But I am very happy for them, [despite] being a competitor. My job is to not think about what can go wrong for them. My job is to just keep getting better".

East Zone’s quarterfinal victory moves them into the Duleep Trophy semifinals, and Kishan reiterated his intention to keep improving as he seeks another opportunity in India’s Test setup.