Ishan Kishan has scored a stunning century in the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Wednesday (December 24), days after his selection for the T20 World Cup squad.
Ishan Kishan has earned a stunning comeback to the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2026, marking his return after nearly two years in the wilderness.
The explosive wicketkeeper-batter forced his way back through a sensational Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign, topping the run charts with 517 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 197.32, including two centuries and two fifties-capped by a match-winning 101 off 49 balls in the final against Haryana.
Ishan Kishan continues mayhem in Vijay Hazare Trophy
And now he has started in a regal fashion in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well. Against Karnataka, Kishan scored 125 off just 39 deliveries, hitting 7 fours and 14 sixes. His domination propelled Jharkhand to put a mammoth total of 412 runs. The southpaw came into the crease in the 39th over and smashed a century and more, before getting out in the 49th over.
His batting brilliance was immence as the Patna-born batted at a strike rate of 320. Astonishingly, he scored 73 runs in his last 19 deliveries, hitting 10 sixes in those deliveries. The India player got to his century in 33 deliveries.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar praised Kishan's top-order aggression and prior international experience, positioning him as a second keeper behind Sanju Samson for added batting solidity, ahead of options like Dhruv Jurel. Sunil Gavaskar hailed the pick as proof of BCCI's renewed emphasis on domestic form, leapfrogging Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma despite Kishan's modest IPL 2025.
Kishan, reflecting on his journey from a 2023 break to this redemption, expressed sheer joy: "It feels good to be picked. I'm very happy. "
