Mumbai: Ishan Kishan is in contention for a place in India’s Test squad for the upcoming tour of New Zealand, with selectors impressed by his weight of domestic runs and improved glovework.
The left-hander, already in India’s T20I squad for the New Zealand leg, has made an irresistible case through the domestic season — piling up runs for Jharkhand and keeping tidily, reminding everyone of the destructive talent that first broke through.
The case for Kishan
India’s Test keeping stocks have been in flux. With the tour of New Zealand presenting seaming conditions and a gruelling schedule, selectors want a keeper-batter who can change a session — Kishan’s counter-attacking game fits that brief perfectly.
His ability to take the attack to quality pace bowling, honed in the IPL and in white-ball internationals, gives India a point of difference in the lower middle order.
The competition
Kishan isn’t the only name in the frame. The incumbent keepers and India A performers are all being weighed, and the final call will balance glovework solidity against batting X-factor for New Zealand’s conditions.
What works in Kishan’s favour is form and versatility — he can bat anywhere from opener to No. 7 and has shown he can keep for long spells without his batting dipping.
What the selectors are thinking
The selection committee meets shortly to finalise the Test squad. Kishan’s name being actively discussed — rather than merely on a longlist — suggests he has genuine momentum.
For Kishan, who has fought his way back into national reckoning after a turbulent period, a Test call-up for New Zealand would complete a remarkable turnaround.
Read also: India’s T20I squad for New Zealand tour | Rohit and Kohli’s wait until New Zealand
