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Match 1- Haryana (419/10 & 105/6) drew with Mumbai (245/10 & 321/10)
Match 2- Jharkhand (289/10 & 175/8) beat Madhya Pradesh (225/10 & 238/10)
Match 3- Jammu & Kashmir (587/9 dec) drew with Chhattisgarh (278/10 & 276/2)
Match 4- Indian Railways (570/10 & 138/5 dec) beat Gujarat (227/10 & 342/10)
Top performers from week one
Most Runs - Shubham Khajuria (Jammu and Kashmir) - 202
Highest Score - Shubham Khajuria (Jammu and Kashmir) - 202
Most Wickets - Ayan Chaudhary (Indian Railways) - 7
Best Figures - Parush Mandal (Madhya Pradesh) 5/42
How did the big guns fare?
In the first round of the Buchi Babu Invitational tournament being held in Tamil Nadu, big names like Ishan Kishan, Sarfaraz Khan, Abdul Samad and Ashutosh Sharma showcased their talent. U-19 World Cup stars like Musheer Khan and Nishant Sindhu were also in the mix, but it was Kishan who made the biggest statement.
The Jharkhand star announced his comeback in the red-ball format after a long hiatus with a brilliant century. Kishan, who was sidelined after he took a break mid-tour in South Africa in 2023, hit a fantastic century against Madhya Pradesh (MP). Leading the Jharkhand side, scored 114 off just 107 balls to take his team past MP’s first innings total of 225.
However, it was his knock of 41 in the second innings that proved crucial. Chasing 175 to win, Jharkhand kept losing wickets, but it was their 26-year-old captain who stayed at the crease till the end to see his team through.
Kishan had crucial partnerships of 33 with Kumar Suraj for the fifth wicket, 26 with Vivekanand Tiwary for the seventh and an unbeaten 13 for the ninth wicket with Shubham Kumar, showing that the win meant more to him than personal milestones.
While Kishan shone in the first game, another India cricketer, captaining his side, failed to do so. Sarfaraz Khan, leading Mumbai against Haryana, could only score 37 and 29 and failed to make an impact.
Abdul Samad, one of the famous names from the Indian Premier League (IPL), played for Jammu & Kashmir and managed to get 58 off 70 balls against Chhattisgarh. With the ball, he bowled four overs and went wicketless.
Another IPL star Ashutosh Sharma played for Railways. Much like IPL, Ashutosh made quick runs, scoring 43 off just 25 balls while batting at number eight in the first innings. In the second, he was promoted to number four to try and get quick runs so that Railways could get Gujarat all-out in the fourth innings and enforce a win. But the Punjab Kings batter could only score six off seven balls.
Seizing the chances
Apart from the usual stars, some new names impressed in the first round as well.
Railways man Ayan Chaudhary picked up two wickets in the first innings and a five-for in the second as their side got Gujarat all-out for 385 to win the game by 139 runs.
Shubham Khajuriya of Jammu & Kashmir also made the opportunity count as the 28-year-old scored a double century against Chhattisgarh in the first innings. He did not get to bat in the second, but with the kind of form he is in, he would be expected to make it count against a bigger opposition like Mumbai in the coming games.
Haryana’s Lakshay Sangwan was one of the best all-rounders from the first game, scoring 75 in the first innings to go along with his figures of 3/30 from the first and 3/92 from the second innings. Playing against domestic giants Mumbai, the left-arm orthodox bowler certainly created a buzz through his all-round ability.
Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz’s brother, also did well, but unfortunately failed to convert his starts. The India U-19 star from 2024 scored 32 in the first innings and 40 in the second. But it was his bowling - 2/70 in the first innings and 3/34 in the second - which had Haryana stuttering at 105/6 before the match came to an end. The middle-order batter would be looking to make it count with the bat in the coming games to establish his credentials as a proper all-rounder.
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