Just last September, Ishan Kishan made headlines, sensationally earning a last-minute call-up to the India-C squad for the Duleep Trophy. He then proceeded to smash a First Class century against India-B, right in front of the watchful national selectors in Anantapur.
However, this Wednesday saw a different side of Kishan. Instead of his usual explosive hitting, he played a calm, calculated innings, patiently building an unbeaten 125 runs from 183 balls, featuring 14 fours and 2 sixes. As captain, his composed knock was exactly what Jharkhand needed to recover from a shaky start, guiding them to a respectable 307 for six against Tamil Nadu by the close of play on day one of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group-A match at the SNR College cricket ground.
After the day’s play, Kishan reflected that his youthful impetuosity had given way to maturity. His performance was dynamic yet controlled. He meticulously rotated the strike, converting singles into twos and finding boundaries with precision. Six of his fours came from his signature cut shot. When debutant pacer R.S. Ambrish tried to unsettle him with short deliveries, Kishan responded with powerful pulls—one soaring for a six over deep square-leg and another for a four to fine-leg. He also confidently stepped out twice, dispatching left-arm spinner D.T. Chandrasekar for a midwicket six and debutant off-spinner Hemchudeshan for a four to wide long-on.
Kishan found an excellent partner in Sahil Raj, and together they built an unbroken 150-run stand for the seventh wicket. Sahil, who reached his maiden First Class fifty with a gritty 64 not out from 105 balls (including 6 fours and 2 sixes), also showcased his attacking prowess late in the day, confidently slog-sweeping both Hemchudeshan and Chandrasekar for a six apiece.
Gurjapneet. | Photo Credit: M. PERIASAMY
Among Tamil Nadu’s bowlers, Gurjapneet Singh stood out with an impressive spell, claiming three wickets for just 51 runs.
The scores: Jharkhand — 1st innings: Shikhar Mohan b Gurjapneet 10, Sharandeep Singh c Jagadeesan b Gurjapneet 48, Kumar Suraj b Chandrasekar 3, Virat Singh c Jagadeesan b Gurjapneet 28, Ishan Kishan (batting) 125, Kumar Kushagra st. Jagadeesan b Chandrasekar 11, Anukul Roy c Pradosh b Warrier 12, Sahil Raj (batting) 64; Extras: (lb-3, w-3): 6; Total (for 6 wkts. in 90 overs): 307.
Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-24, 3-79, 4-106, 5-133, 6-157.
Tamil Nadu bowling: Warrier 17-3-50-1, Gurjapneet 16-2-51-3, Ambrish 8-1-40-0, Chandrasekar 28-2-99-2, Hemchudeshan 20-1-62-0, Pradosh 1-0-2-0.