# Ishan Kishan eyes Test return after Duleep Trophy success 2026-08-25T19:34:11+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Ishan Kishan has said he is determined to regain his place in India's Test team, responding to critics who question his commitment to red-ball cricket. The wicketkeeper-batter, who last played a Test in 2023, led East Zone to a crushing innings and 210-run win over North East Zone in the Duleep Trophy quarterfinal on Tuesday. "Anyone who has played Test cricket would love this format," Kishan said. "People don't believe me, but I really do enjoy red-ball cricket." He acknowledged that Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant are doing well, adding, "My job is to not think about what can go wrong for them. My job is to just keep getting better." Kishan has not played a first-class match in over nine months before this Duleep Trophy outing. The Hindu reports that he is unlikely to get another red-ball game until early 2027, while Times Now notes that Kishan missed domestic matches after withdrawing from the 2023 South Africa tour, defying BCCI orders. He returned to competitive cricket in IPL 2024 and later played in the 2026 T20 World Cup. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The Hindu frames Kishan's Duleep Trophy performance as a quiet step toward a Test recall, emphasising the player's own words and the structural difficulty of getting red-ball games. Times Now leads with a confrontational headline that casts Kishan as fighting his critics, and foregrounds his past defiance of BCCI orders to play domestic cricket, which the Hindu does not mention. The balanced reading: Kishan's stated desire is consistent, but the path back is blocked by Jurel and Pant, and his availability for first-class cricket remains limited by white-ball commitments. His next chance to press his case will be the Duleep Trophy final, if East Zone qualifies. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 1 neutral, 1 sensationalist - thehindu.com (neutral report) Leads with Kishan's comeback ambition and quotes him directly, no editorial judgement. - timesnownews.com (sensationalist) Leads with 'slams critics' framing, drama-first tone, and mentions past BCCI defiance prominently. This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-25T19:56:18+00:00. Tags: Duleep Trophy, India cricket team, Ishan Kishan Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/ishan-kishan-eyes-test-comeback-after-duleep-trophy-knock/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/ishan-kishan-eyes-test-comeback-after-duleep-trophy-knock/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/