Ishan Kishan’s inclusion in India-C for the second round of the Duleep Trophy seemed like a stroke of luck. However, his arrival was anything but ordinary, as he played an electrifying innings of 111 runs (126 balls, 14 fours, 3 sixes) to propel India-C to a commanding 357/5 on the opening day against India-B.
The match was a historic one, marking the first-ever first-class encounter at the Rural Development Trust stadium B-ground. Kishan, initially not a part of the India-C squad, marked the occasion with a special innings that was a blend of power and grace.
His knock was punctuated by a couple of dropped catches off short balls. First, Navdeep Saini’s short ball was pulled to deep backward square leg by Kishan, where Nitish Kumar Reddy leapt and saved what seemed like a certain six. In the next over, Kishan mistimed a pull off Nitish, and Mukesh Kumar had to shuffle, turn back, run, and dive to miss a catch. But these were mere blips in an otherwise dominant performance.
Kishan’s aggression was evident after tea. He hooked a short ball from Saini behind square on the leg side, sending it soaring over the tall Sai Kishore, who also leapt in vain, for a powerful six. He brought up his century with a straight four off Sai Kishore and then seemed to go into overdrive. A pull shot for a six to the square leg boundary off Mukesh Kumar was followed by an ambitious attempt at a big hit, but he was bowled on the next ball.
Kishan’s 111-run stand with Baba Indrajith (78, 136b, 9×4), who batted with composure at the other end, formed the bedrock of India-C’s strong total. Indrajith himself had a lucky escape when he edged Saini to Sarfaraz Khan at slip, only for the bowler to be called for a no-ball. He also exhibited some exquisite strokeplay, including two elegant cover drives off Sai Kishore.
Earlier, skipper and opener Ruturaj Gaikwad retired hurt after getting off to a strong start, hitting the first ball of the match for a four. He apparently twisted his ankle while running and appeared to be in discomfort before leaving the field. However, he returned after Kishan’s dismissal and continued the latter’s flamboyant stroke-making.
India-C will be looking to build on this strong foundation in the upcoming days, while India-B will need to find a way to stem the flow of runs and claw their way back into the match. The absence of the Decision Review System (DRS) adds a layer of intrigue to the contest, as there will be no margin for error in the umpiring decisions.
