India’s discarded wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan shined on his return to the red-ball format in the ongoing Buchi Babu Tournament 2024. Kishan scored a brilliant century in Jharkhand’s first innings against Madhya Pradesh to help his team take a valuable lead in the first innings.
Kishan stopped here and even contributed in Jharkhand’s second innings. Picking up from where he left off in the first innings, he scored a valuable 41 off 58 balls to take Jharkhand over the finishing line.
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Ishan Kishan was named Man of the Match after his return with the red ball
Kishan was adjudged Man of the Match for his brilliance with the bat in both innings. He was the top scorer for Jharkhand in both innings of the match.
Ishan Kishan won the POTM award for his match-winning century in the Buchi Babu tournament. image.twitter.com/5Qm2GFAk5F
-Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 18, 2024
Ishan Kishan was positive with the bat.
In the first innings, Ishan Kishan looked aggressive from the start and batted positively. His ability to hit sixes was evident as he constantly put pressure on the bowlers with his power hitting. The left-hander was equally good against pace and spin pitches.
He was at his usual best for most of the innings and pulled his team out of a precarious situation. He tore apart the Madhya Pradesh bowlers using his feet and his ability to clear the ropes with ease.
He scored 114 runs in just 107 balls and hit 5 fours and 10 sixes during his innings. Even though he had been dismissed, his innings allowed Jharkhand to take a valuable lead in the first innings. Apart from Kishan, none of the Jharkhand batsmen could reach the 40-run mark in the innings.
In the fourth innings of the match, Jharkhand set a target of 174 runs to win the match. Though they started steadily, they lost their way in the middle. Captain Ishan Kishan came to the rescue once again by scoring a brilliant 41* off 58 balls, with 1 four and 2 sixes.
Ishan Kishan finished the game with 2 sixes in 3 balls.
With 11 needed and 2 wickets remaining, the 26-year-old took his team to the winning line in style with two sixes in three balls. Kishan’s aggressive approach is a great sign of his chances of returning to the Indian team, although the selectors will want him to show a little more consistency.
Ishan Kishan has been through a lot in just over a year. He was in the Indian team that won the 2023 Asia Cup and finished as runners-up in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Though Kishan was not a regular part of the starting XI, he did feature in a few matches in both tournaments and played crucial knocks.
However, he decided to quit India’s tour of South Africa midway, citing mental fatigue. As a result, he was told to play local cricket for Jharkhand to regain his place in the national team.
But Kishan did not play in the Ranji Trophy last season and was instead found training privately with his IPL captain Hardik Pandya. The selectors, apparently unhappy with his behaviour, decided to remove him from the BCCI’s annual central contract list.
