Ishan Kishan’s Century Powers Jharkhand to Historic First Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Win

Ishan Kishan led Jharkhand to create history as they won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for the first time. Jharkhand beat Haryana in the final, a team that had played very well throughout the tournament. The reserve players and the members of the coaching staff come sprinting onto the park. The men on the park uproot the stumps and collect souvenirs as rhapsodic celebrations begin to unfold. The fireworks go off and with wide, bright grins on their faces, Jharkhand players are shimmering under the gleam of the floodlights at the MCA Stadium. 

The dejection in the Haryana camp is palpable. But in all fairness, Ankit Kumar and co. can hold their heads high. They have a young side, 9 different players made their SMAT debuts this year, and have impressed one and all to reach this far.

Ishan Kishan’s Heroics Power Jharkhand to First-Ever Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Title

Today, however, they were blown away by an Ishan Kishan special. The southpaw batted like he had a point to prove, unfurling one belligerent strike after the other, sending one-thirds of the balls he face beyond the fence. He completed his century with a handful of overs to spare and such was the impetus he generated that the crowd even started chanting, "Do sau, do sau" (Two hundred, two hundred).

Of course, every Batman needs a Robin. Kumar Kushagra proved to be that today. For the large part, he matched Kishan toe-to-toe during his 38-ball-81 and lit up the evening. While the massive 177-run stand between those two were broken with a few overs to spare, Robin Minz and Anukul Roy took over to provide the finishing touches. Both played exuberant cameos that took Jharkhand to a mammoth 262/3.

Then, Vikas Kumar put in early dents with the ball in hand. He dismissed Haryana's captain and highest run-getter Ankit Kumar for a duck and then, Ashish Siwach a couple of balls later and soon, they were huffing and puffing like an amateur mountaineer at the base of Everest. Yashvardhan Dalal scored a magnificent half-century. Nishant Sindhu and Samant Jakhar too impressed with their cameos. But they were always fighting a lost cause.

Sushant Mishra and Anukul Roy bowled prodigious spells that will linger on in their minds for a long time. All in all, everyone contributed to make Jharkhand the champions.