Duleep Trophy: Kishan returns to First-Class cricket with a century

Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh) [India], September 12 (ANI): Ishan Kishan announced his return to first-class cricket by slamming a counterattacking century for India C against India B on day 1 of the second round of matches in the Duleep Trophy.

Kishan’s rollicking performance butteressed India C’s 357/5 at the end of day 1. Originally, Kishan was not a part of the revised squads announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He was included in the India C squad on the eve of the match.

The game marked Kishan’s first red-ball match since his Test debut in the Caribbean in July 2023. On his return, Kishan dazzled around the crease and dominated India B’s bowling line-up that featured Navdeep Saini, Rahul Chahar and Mukesh Kumar.

The southpaw stitched up an 189-run stand with Baba Indrajit for the third wicket. While Kishan stood out with the way he put runs on the board. Indrajith also provided a valuable contribution with his 78-run knock.

In his seventh first-class century, Kishan constantly found the boundary rope. He struck a four 14 times and cleared the boundary line three times to boast a captivating performance.

India seamer Mukesh Kumar tried to put a break on India C’s relentless approach. He broke the 96-run opening stand by removing Sai Sudharsan. He stung India C back by breaching Kishan’s defence. He trapped Abishek Porel (12) in front of the stumps to cap off an impressive display.

Saini and Chahar chipped in with a wicket each and tried to pull India B’s back into the game. Saini castled Rajat Patidar (40), who looked well set for a long stay on the crease. While Chahar ended Indrajith’s promising-looking 78-run knock.

In the second game between India A and India D, it was a back-and-forth affair with both teams taking control in patches on the opening day.

Harshit Rana, Vidhwath Kaverappa, and Arshdeep Singh picked two wickets each for India D. After the top order failed to provide a decent start for India A, Shams Mulani turned the tides in their favour. Along with a handy contribution from Tanush Kotian (53), Mulani’s unbeaten 88-run knock propelled India A’s score from 144/6 to 288/8.