NEW DELHI: Jharkhand captain Ishan Kishan delivered a magnificent performance, scoring a commanding century to pull his team out of a difficult situation on day one of the Ranji Trophy season. Facing Tamil Nadu, Kishan, who recently lost his place in the Indian side across various formats, remained unbeaten on a vital 125 runs from 183 balls. He forged a crucial 150-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Sahil Raj, who contributed 64 runs by stumps.
Ishan Kishan (Image credit: X)
Jharkhand had been struggling early in their innings, looking poised to be dismissed for less than 200 runs before the Kishan-Raj stand stabilized the score. For Tamil Nadu, left-arm pacer Gurjapneet Singh was the primary wicket-taker, claiming three scalps, while left-arm spinner DT Chandrasekar, making a return to the Ranji circuit after a decade, picked up two wickets.
In other matches across the tournament, defending champions Vidarbha posted a solid total against Nagaland at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, closing day one at 302 for three. Opener Aman Mokhade led their charge with an outstanding unbeaten 148, supported by Dhruv Shorey (64) and Yash Rathod (66 not out).
Andhra also had a brilliant start in Kanpur against Uttar Pradesh, with opener and wicket-keeper batter KS Bharat scoring a patient 144 runs off 244 balls, including 13 fours. His efforts, complemented by number three batsman Shaik Rasheed’s unbeaten 94, gave Andhra a strong platform by the end of the first day’s play.