Will Ishan Kishan make comeback in Indian Test team after Duleep Trophy 2026 heroics?

Ishan Kishan led East Zone to a Duleep Trophy final, ending their 13-year-long wait.

Ishan Kishan’s international career has entered one of its best phases over the past two seasons. After spending a significant period away from the Indian team, the wicket-keeper batter made his comeback to white-ball cricket. His return marked an impressive 2026, with strong performances for India in T20Is and in the IPL. He is the No. 1-ranked T20I cricketer by the ICC and played a massive role in India’s win in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. 

However, the Test format offers a different challenge to batters like Kishan. The left-hander has played only two Tests for India, both coming during the 2023 tour of the West Indies. He scored 78 runs across three innings with a maiden half-century. 

Ishan Kishan has not played a single Test match for India since then but has been active in domestic red-ball cricket. He captained the East Zone side in the 2026 Duleep Trophy and helped them reach the final after a 13-year-long gap. 

Should Ishan Kishan be considered an option for India’s red-ball squad?

The possibility of Ishan Kishan’s comeback to the Indian Test side cannot be ruled out completely, although he has a considerable challenge ahead. India’s wicket-keeping department currently has two established stars, Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel, making selection for any other player massively competitive. 

Kishan’s advantage is his experience and recent domestic outcome. He played limited cricket during the Ranji Trophy season but came into the spotlight for a brilliant knock of 173 runs against Tamil Nadu at the start of the Ranji Trophy season for Jharkhand. He went on to lead the East Zone side in the Duleep Trophy, which gave him a platform to push his case towards national selection. 

In the Duleep Trophy, he started off with modest returns but soon played a captain’s knock in the second innings of the match against Central Zone. He then went on to score a century during the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone. This strengthened his case in front of the national selectors, who keep a keen eye on the Duleep Trophy final. However, even all of these stats combined look ordinary in front of what Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel have done in Test cricket for India. 

Alongside the wicket-keeper-batter role, India also have a line of tough competitors in the batting department. Kishan will have to challenge the likes of Devdutt Padikkal, Tilak Varma and Sai Sudharsan, who are all contending for that one spot in the Indian team. 

Ultimately, a Test comeback depends on consistency in the format over a prolonged period of time, which seems distant for Kishan. Though he is determined to play Test cricket for India, having expressed how much he enjoys playing red-ball cricket, his comeback would require a continuous streak of strong performances.  

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