Ishan Kishan’s Counterattacking Century Boosts India C

Ishan Kishan made a strong return to first-class cricket with an aggressive 111 from 126 balls, helping India C take control on the opening day of the second round of the Duleep Trophy in Anantapur. Despite not being part of the revised squads announced by the BCCI on September 10, Kishan was included at the last moment, just before the match. After a quick trip from Bengaluru, which is 200 kilometers away, he joined India C, though he was initially supposed to play for India D before a groin injury forced him to miss the first round of games.

Kishan’s powerful partnership with B Indrajith, worth 189 runs for the third wicket, formed the backbone of India C’s solid batting effort. They ended the day at 357 for 5 in 79 overs. Indrajith added 78 runs, making it his second half-century in three innings. Kishan’s knock, which included 14 fours and three sixes, was his seventh first-class century and marked his full return to red-ball cricket since his Test debut in July 2023 in the Caribbean.

Strong Team Effort and Gaikwad’s Return

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Last month, Kishan led Jharkhand in two games during the Buchi Babu Invitational in Tamil Nadu, where he scored a hundred in his first game against a Madhya Pradesh XI. However, those scores don’t count as first-class records.

On the bowling side, India C’s seamer Mukesh Kumar picked up three wickets, while Navdeep Saini and leg-spinner Rahul Chahar grabbed one wicket each. Despite the strong showing by the bowlers, India C was further boosted by the return of captain Ruturaj Gaikwad. He had initially retired hurt in the first over after twisting his ankle but came back to bat after Indrajith’s dismissal, adding 42 more runs to remain unbeaten on 46 by the end of the day.

Meanwhile, B Sai Sudharsan and Rajat Patidar, both looking to cement their positions as middle-order backups, got off to promising starts but couldn’t convert them into big scores, making 43 and 40, respectively.