Bengal opener Vivek Singh becomes the first centurion of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 got its first centurion on Tuesday (January 12) as Bengal opener Vivek Singh slammed a hundred against Jharkhand at Eden Gardens. Singh remained unbeaten on 100* at the end of Bengal's innings as he took his team's total to 161/6.
Vivek Singh has been in terrific touch in 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The Bengal batsman helped his team defeat Odisha in their tournament opener with a half-century. He followed that up with his maiden T20 century versus the Ishan Kishan-led Jharkhand team.
Vivek opened the innings with wicket-keeper Shreevats Goswami after captain Anustup Majumdar elected to bat first. The opening pair added 60 runs to the total before Utkarsh Singh removed Goswami.
Monu Kumar and Rahul Shukla kept taking wickets at regular intervals for Jharkhand. However, the two pacers could not dismiss Vivek Singh, who completed his century by the end of the innings.
Heading into this match, Vivek Singh's highest T20 score was 71. He had scored only one century across all formats in his domestic career before this game. However, he dominated the proceedings at the Eden Gardens and smacked 13 fours and three sixes in his 64-ball 100.
Can Vivek Singh's century help Bengal win their second consecutive match in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021?
As mentioned before, Vivek Singh's magnificent knock took Bengal to 161/6 in 20 overs. The Jharkhand cricket team has some hard-hitting batsmen like Ishan Kishan and Virat Singh in their squad.
Kishan has an excellent record in Kolkata. He had scored a 17-ball half-century for the Mumbai Indians against the Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens during IPL 2018.
It will be interesting to see if the Bengal cricket team can restrict the likes of Kishan and maintain their 100% win record in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021.