Ishan Kishan's 94-ball 173 powers Jharkhand to 422/9 in Vijay Hazare Trophy
Ishan Kishan kicked off his Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021 campaign in style with a blistering ton against Madhya Pradesh. The Jharkhand skipper opened the innings for his team and smashed 173 runs off 94 deliveries to drive his team to a mammoth 422-run total in the first innings.
Playing at home, Madhya Pradesh won the toss and invited Jharkhand to bat first at the Holkar Stadium. The visitors got off to a poor start as Utkarsh Singh departed in the third over. However, Ishan Kishan then launched a counter-attack against Madhya Pradesh.
The captain added 113 runs in 98 balls with Kumar Kushagra, who took a back seat and scored just 26 runs off 45 deliveries, while Kishan tormented the opposition bowlers.
The onslaught continued until the 28th over of the Jharkhand innings. Ishan looked set to shatter Sanju Samson's record for the highest score in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The Rajasthan Royals skipper had scored 212 runs for Kerala against Goa in 2019.
Ishan Kishan raced to 173 in the 28th over before losing his wicket on the fourth ball of that over as he was dismissed by Gaurav Yadav. Jharkhand was 240/3 in 27.4 overs when Kishan returned to the dressing room.
Ishan Kishan's Mumbai Indians teammate Anukul Roy showcases batting talent
After Ishan Kishan's departure, his Mumbai Indians teammate Anukul Roy played a whirlwind knock of 72 runs. Roy smacked 72 runs off just 39 deliveries, hitting three boundaries and seven maximums.
Jharkhand eventually finished with 422/9 in 50 overs. Gourav Yadav was the pick of the bowlers for Madhya Pradesh with 4/73 in nine overs. Only Ishwar Pandey (1/53 in 10 overs) had an economy rate of less than six among the home team's bowlers.
You can follow the live scorecard of the Jharkhand vs Madhya Pradesh match here.