Jharkhand rides on Ishan Kishan's blazing hundred to clinch maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali title

Jharkhand clinched their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali title on Thursday by beating Haryana in the final showdown by 69 runs at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Thursday, December 18. 

Skipper Ishan Kishan led from the front and smashed a blazing hundred (101 off 49 deliveries) to lay the foundation of his team's victory. Haryana's captain Ankit Kumar won the toss and invited Jharkhand to set a total on the board. Ishan needed no second invitation as he displayed his aggressive intent right from the outset. 

Though he lost his partner, Virat Singh, in the first over, Ishan launched an onslaught and was equally well-supported by their No. 3 Kumar Kushagra. The duo added 179 runs for the second wicket in just 82 deliveries to put Haryana on the mat.

Ishan's century helped him finish as the leading run-getter in the tournament with 517 runs at an average of 57.44 and a strike rate of 197.32. He scored two half-centuries and as many tons in the tournament.

He saved his best for the last and hammered six fours and 10 sixes at a lightning strike rate of 206.12. Kushagra, who partnered Ishan at the other end, wasn't a mute spectator either as he inflicted carnage on Haryana's hapless bowling attack, registering 81 off 38 balls, laced with eight fours and five sixes. Kushagra even trumped his captain in terms of scoring rate, racking up his runs at 213.15.

While Ishan and Kushagra got out within a span of five balls, it didn't end Haryana's woes as allrounder Anukul Roy and Robin Minz piled on the pain. Roy and Minz played blistering cameos to add 75 runs off just 29 deliveries to take Jharkhand to a gigantic total (262/3). Roy pounded three fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 40-run knock, whereas Minz raced to 31* off just 14 with the help of three lusty blows.

Sumit Kumar, Anshul Kamboj, and Samant Jakhar picked up one wicket each, but Ishant Bhardwaj was the most economical for Haryana, conceding 40 in his four overs.

In reply, Haryana lost their top three, including Ankit, inside the first five overs and were reeling at 36/3. But just when everyone thought Jharkhand was going to run away with the game, Nishant Sindhu and wicketkeeper Yasvardhan Dalal stitched a 67-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

Yasvardhan looked unstoppable as he biffed the ball hard, notching up a well-deserved fifty, studded with two fours and five sixes. Sindhu also batted at a strike rate of over 200 but failed to go past 31. They got out with just one ball separating their dismissals, and Haryana's score was 104/5.

Left-arm seamer and a member of India's U19 World Cup 2020 squad, Sushant Mishra was the pick of all the Jharkhand bowlers, finishing with figures of 3/27. He was well supported by medium pacer Bal Krishna, who also accounted for three of the Haryana batters, whereas Roy and Vikash Singh bagged two wickets apiece. Haryana's fight came to an end on the third delivery of the 19th over as they got bowled out for 193. Sushant finished as the joint leading wicket-taker (22 wickets) in the tournament alongside Ashok Sharma of Rajasthan.