With East Zone taking on Central Zone in the first quarter-final at Alur in Bengaluru, the 24-year-old had the opportunity to play one game with the red ball before the Indian team's departure for the Caribbean. The one-off game would have given Kishan a chance to push his case for selection in the Test team, especially when the incumbent KS Bharat is struggling to make a mark with the bat. But Kishan had opted out of the Duleep Trophy a couple of days ago.