India, Sept. 7 -- A year after he came close to making a return to the Indian Test fold, when Rishabh Pant was injured during the tour of England, the conversations have resurfaced.

An epic 270, churned out on a placid Chennai track in the Duleep Trophy final, has reignited the debate over whether a return to international red-ball cricket could be closer than ever for Ishan Kishan. But the left-hander has distanced himself from getting caught up in thoughts of "overthinking" and "expectations", admitting that his time away from the national squad during a turbulent phase of his career has narrowed his focus to one thing: getting runs on the board.

Ishan was at the heart of East Zone's monumental 708 in the first innings of the Duleep T...