SMAT Final: Out-of-favour wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan made history of sorts, becoming the second batter in the history of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to score a ton in the final on Thursday. The hundred of Kishan came against Haryana as he also became the only batter from his state, Jharkhand, to achieve this feat.
Ishan clamped down hard on Haryana’s bowling attack as he smashed 10 sixes and six boundaries in the onslaught. Notably, this was his fifth ton in the tournament, which came in just 46 balls.
Haryana's Sumit Kumar got him shortly after getting a hundred as he walked off the field with 101 in 49 balls, becoming the second-highest scorer in SMAT history. Punjab batter Anmolpreet Singh currently leads the list as he scored a spectacular 113 against Baroda in the final of the 2023 edition.
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Ishan Equals Abhishek Sharma's Records, Goes Past Sanju Samson
It is worth noting that with this hundred, Ishan equalled the tally of most SMAT centuries in the history of the tournament. Abhishek has five hundreds in his name in 54 innings, while Ishan has achieved the same feat in 64 innings. Interestingly, both players open for their respective sides.
Ishan has now scored five centuries in T20 cricket, making him the only Indian wicketkeeper-batter to reach this milestone. He moved past Sanju Samson, who has four hundreds in 218 T20 matches, and matched the record held by former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal.
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Haryana Struggling In SMAT Final
Haryana struggled as all their bowlers gave up runs at an economy rate above 10. Their lackluster performance allowed Jharkhand to score 262 for 3 in just 20 overs. Captain Ishan Kishan and Kumar Kushagra put together a huge 177-run partnership for the second wicket, and Anukul Roy and Robin Minz added another 75 runs for the fourth wicket.