“One hundred percent,” he says when asked if he wants to be part of the Test team. “Anyone who has played Test cricket would love this format. We know its importance and how it helps one get better. People don’t believe me , but I really do enjoy red-ball cricket. My only job is to score runs and make my team win,” he adds.

Quick hands. Fantastic glovework 🧤

East Zone captain Ishan Kishan was superb behind the stumps on Day 3 as he guided his team into the semis 🙌

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/XJFhfvvTIU#DuleepTrophy pic.twitter.com/jWClnBWxV8

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) August 25, 2026

Since playing two Tests in the West Indies in 2023, Ishan hasn’t added any caps to his name. For the South Africa series later that year, India preferred KL Rahul with the gloves, following which Ishan flew home and even skipped the Ranji Trophy. But since returning to the domestic grind, he has leapfrogged those in front of him.

“I love this game (red ball). I enjoy it because when you are in the middle, the ball is moving, players are coming at you, there is banter going on with the other team. It’s always fun to be part of it because I love that challenge. Yes, it’s easier to bat on flat tracks and fun as well, but the competition in Tests is different,” the 28-year-old asserts.

Not many opportunities

But having played plenty of white-ball cricket for most of this year, Ishan knows switching formats doesn’t come easily. The Duleep Trophy quarterfinal was Ishan’s first red-ball fixture in 10 months.

“It’s a challenge, but fun. It’s not easy to succeed in all three formats. Here I was looking to play towards third man and got nicked out. I was like, ‘what the heck was I trying to do?’ I should know this is a long format and I need to leave a few balls. But sometimes when you think about something that you don’t want to do, you end up doing it,” Ishan says.

East Zone captain Ishan Kishan pulls off a stumping vs North Zone in the Duleep Trophy. (Screengrabs: BCCI Domestic X)

The path back to the Test team isn’t smooth. With a busy white-ball season ahead for India, he may not get to play domestic red-ball fixtures and push his case. And then there are Pant and Jurel. “I need a lot of effort to get back in the Test team. Dhruv and Rishabh are doing so well. They are continuously scoring runs. I’m very happy for both of them. At the same time, my job is to not think about what can go wrong for them, but to keep getting better. If it’s meant to happen, it will,” he philosophises.

The maturity in Ishan’s tone and in his game cannot be missed these days. Having gone through the domestic grind, and experienced the ups and downs, he attributes it to his time away from the national team.

“As a sportsman, life can be harsh on us. There is so much going in the head. It’s very important to just be in the moment, play good cricket, try and keep getting better every day,” he signs off.