Jharkhand captain Ishan Kishan scripted history on Saturday after he exhibited a sensational batting performance, smashing 173 runs off just 94 balls against Madhya Pradesh in the Elite Group B match of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Ishan whacked five sixes and 12 fours to notch up 102 runs from just 74 deliveries. In the last 20 balls he faced, Ishan wreaked carnage and added 71 more runs to his score. Overall, the left-handed attacking batsman slammed 19 fours and 11 sixes. With that, Ishan entered the record books and became the third keeper-captain to smash that many runs with the willow in List A cricket.
Highest scores by keeper-captains in List A cricket:
- 175* (171) – Morne van Wyk, Dolphins vs Knights (Oct 2014)
- 174 (152) – Moin Khan, PIA vs Lahore-W (Mar 2003)
- 173 (94) – Ishan Kishan, Jharkhand vs MP ( Feb 2021)*
With the help of Ishan’s splendid knock, Jharkhand posted the highest team score in the history of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Jharkhand managed to score as many as 422 runs with a loss of 9 wickets in their allotted 50 overs. The previous best score in the tournament was made by Madhya Pradesh when they had posted 412/6 against Railways way in 2010.
Apart from Ishan, Virat Singh (68), Sumit Kumar (52), and Anukul Roy (72) also shined with the willow and made valuable contributions to their side.
Highest totals in List A cricket in India:
- 438/4 – South Africa vs India, Mumbai, 2015
- 422/9 – Jharkhand vs M. Pradesh, today
- 418/5 – India vs West Indies, Indore, 2011
- 414/7 – India vs Sri Lanka, Rajkot, 2009
- 412/6 – M. Pradesh vs Railways, Indore, 2010
In reply, MP got bundled out for 98 in 18.4 overs, thereby losing the contest by a massive 324-run margin.
Pacer Varun Aaron performed exceptionally well for Jharkhand as he picked up six wickets for 37 in 5.4 overs. Apart from Aaron, Bal Krishna also bagged two scalps for just 8 runs in 2 overs.
Vijay Hazare Trophy is the domestic one-day competition of India. Ahead of the limited-overs fixtures against England, this competition is really crucial for Indian players to grab the opportunity and impress the selectors.
