Blazing start in the Buchi Babu Tournament
India's wicketkeeper-batsman, Ishan Kishan kicked off the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament on Friday with a stunning century for Jharkhand in their opening match against Madhya Pradesh. The 26-year-old captain of the Jharkhand Cricket Association team played a key role, smashing nine sixes in just 39 balls.

Turning the game around
After Madhya Pradesh was bowled out for 225 on the second day, Jharkhand faced a tough situation. Kishan came in at number six and initially took his time to settle in. However, he soon shifted gears, reaching his half-century in just 61 balls. From there, Kishan unleashed a barrage of big hits, including nine massive sixes in 39 balls, reaching his century in just 86 deliveries. His explosive batting helped Jharkhand surpass Madhya Pradesh's total, putting them in control of the match.

Ishan Kishan hits a century in his comeback match! Well done Skip! pic.twitter.com/aRBnCZgRsI

— kryptonite✨ (@ish_mania) August 16, 2024

A strong comeback after a break  
Kishan’s return to form is significant, especially after taking a break toward the end of the 2023 season due to travel fatigue. This break led to his exclusion from the national team and the T20 World Cup squad. In February, both Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were left out of the BCCI central contracts, reportedly due to missing domestic red-ball matches. Despite this setback, Kishan made a strong comeback in the IPL 2024 season with Mumbai Indians, scoring 320 runs in 14 games, including a half-century.

Reflections on a difficult decision
Earlier this year, Kishan spoke about his choice to skip domestic cricket. He last played for India in the third T20I against Australia in November 2023. Although he was named in the squad for all three formats for the South Africa tour, Kishan opted out of the Test squad, citing personal reasons.

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Kishan on his struggles
"It was depressing. I don't want to say everything was fine. It was not easy at all. You go through a lot. Questions like 'What happened? Why me?' kept running through my mind," Kishan shared in an interview with the Indian Express.