Ishan Kishan's Century Helps Jharkhand Win First Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan, who has been out of the national team, played a brilliant century on December 18, helping Jharkhand win their first-ever Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with a 69-run victory over Haryana. This performance also strengthens Kishan’s case for a return to the national T20 team. Kishan scored 101 runs off 49 balls, hitting 10 sixes and six fours, taking Jharkhand to a massive score of 262/3 in 20 overs. He shared a 177-run partnership with Kumar Kushagra (81 off 38 balls) for the second wicket.
In the end, Anukul Roy (40 not out off 20 balls) and Robin Minz (31 not out off 14 balls) helped Jharkhand reach 250+ by putting on a 75-run unbroken partnership for the fourth wicket.
Haryana's Struggle
Chasing the target, Haryana started poorly, losing two wickets in the first over to Vikas Singh (2/30), and could never recover. Eventually, they were bowled out for 193 in 18.3 overs. Jharkhand's Sushant Mishra (3/27) and Bal Krishna (3/38) played key roles, with Anukul Roy also taking 2 wickets for 42 runs. Haryana's top scorer was wicketkeeper-batsman Yashvardhan Dalal, who made 53 runs, while Samant Jakhar (38) and Nishant Sindhu (31) made useful contributions.
This victory made Jharkhand the 12th state to win the prestigious domestic T20 tournament in India.
Key Performances
After being invited to bat first, Jharkhand lost their opener Virat Singh (2) early but Kishan and Kushagra rebuilt the innings. Kishan scored his second century of the tournament, ending as the highest scorer with 517 runs at an incredible strike rate of 197.32 across 10 matches.
The left-handed batsman showed his brilliance at a crucial time, as national selectors were about to meet to pick India's T20 squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand and the T20 World Cup. Kishan showed his power by hitting a one-handed six over extra cover to complete his century.
He was eventually bowled out for 101 in the 15th over by Sumit Kumar, and Kushagra followed him back to the pavilion in the next over. However, Anukul Roy and Minz made sure that Haryana would be left with a target that was nearly impossible to chase.
Haryana's Response
Haryana's chase began disastrously with captain Ankit Kumar (0) and Ashish Sivach (0) both falling in the first over. Wicketkeeper-batsman Dalal fought hard, adding 34 runs with opener Arsh Ranga (17) for the third wicket and then 67 runs with Nishant. However, Anukul Roy dismissed both settled batsmen in one over, almost sealing Jharkhand’s victory. The remaining bowlers took care of the formalities and Jharkhand won comfortably.