Stumper Kushagra powers Jharkhand to 356/9 against Delhi with rapid century in Ranji Trophy

On the second day of their Ranji Trophy Group D match against Delhi in New Delhi, talented wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Kushagra showcased his skills with a brilliant unbeaten knock of 133 to guide Jharkhand to a commanding total of 356 for 9.

The 20-year-old Kushagra, who was bought by Delhi Capitals for ₹7.2 crores but released early this month after playing just four matches in 2024 IPL, hit 14 boundaries and five sixes during his strokeful 166-ball unbeaten innings.

Courtesy Kushagra's aggressive ton, Jharkhand added 220 runs for the loss of six wickets from 70 overs played on Day 2 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The visitors had begun the day at 136 for 3.

Sharandeep Singh added just two runs to his overnight 64 to be the first Jharkhand batter to get out.

Coming out to bat at the fall of Sharandeep, Kushagra stitched 93 runs for the fifth wicket with captain Virat Singh to swell the visiting side's total. He then shared another 59 runs with Manishi for the eighth wicket to eventually take Jharkhand past the 350-run mark.

With just two days left in the match, Jharkhand have placed themselves in a strong position in the match.

For Delhi, Simarjeet Singh, Money Grewal and Sumit Mathur have so far taken two wickets apiece, while Siddhant Sharma and Ayush Badoni got a wicket each.

On Day 1 on Wednesday, Sharandeep scored a dogged half-century as Jharkhand batters were painstakingly slow in their approach.

They improved their run rate a bit on Thursday above three per over.

Having lost to Chattisgarh in the last game, Delhi, in their final home game of the season, made wholesale changes under new skipper Ayush Badoni.

Brief Scores:

In Delhi: Jharkhand 1st Innings 356 for 9 in 125 overs vs Delhi.

In Ahmedabad: Railways 229 vs Tamil Nadu 324 for 6 in 93 overs . In Chandigarh: Saurashtra 531 for 9 declared in 138 overs vs Chandigarh 78 for 5 in 23 overs .

In Raipur: Assam 289 all out in 95.2 overs vs Chattisgarh 214 for 4 in 72 overs .

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