Jharkhand scores 880 runs against Nagaland, fourth-highest in Ranji Trophy

Jharkhand scores 880 runs against Nagaland, fourth-highest in Ranji Trophy

On Monday, March 14, Jharkhand’s batters broke the 800 runs mark in the pre-quarterfinal in Ranji Trophy against the plate topper Nagaland. By doing so, they have recorded the fourth-highest score in the history of the Ranji Trophy at the Eden Garden in Kolkata.

The 17-year-old wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra converted his maiden first-class century into his maiden double century by a massive 266 in his third match at the Ranji Trophy on Sunday. With the assistance of the middle-orders and the tail-enders, Jharkhand breached the 800 mark in just three days. Virat Singh scored 107 and the left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem scored his 2nd first-class century.

The batters ended Day 1, scoring 402 runs by losing five wickets. On the 2nd Day, they added 367 runs and lost four wickets, it ended with a mammoth total of 769/9 in 177 overs with Rahul Shukla and Nadeem on the crease. On Monday, Shukla notched up a half-century with six sixes and seven fours, scoring 85* off 149 balls.

Nadeem surpassed his maiden 150 runs, with 22 fours and two sixes, scored his career-best 177 off 304 deliveries. After the highest 191-run partnership between the two tail-enders, leg-spinner Imliwati Lemtur was finally able to trap Nadeem. The score read 880, the highest at the Eden Gardens.

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Highest team totals in Ranji Trophy

Ranji Trophy
Ranji Trophy

944/6d – Hyderabad vs Andhra Pradesh, Secunderabad (1993-94)
912/8d – Holkar vs Mysore, Indore (1945-46)
912/6d – Tamil Nadu vs Goa, Panaji (1988-89)
880/10 – Jharkhand vs Nagaland, Kolkata (2021-22)

“It was a flat wicket on offer”: Satish Singh

Jharkhand’s batting head coach Satish Singh called the Eden Garden’s pitch as “dead surface” and said that the tail-enders got much practice ahead of their would-be quarterfinals against Bengal.

“’It was a flat wicket on offer. We just wanted to bat for practice, especially the lower order who doesn’t get to bat much,” Singh told PTI after the end of day three.

”It wouldn’t be an easy match in the Ranji quarters, most likely Bengal as they are the toppers. Hopefully, it will come handy in the knockouts as they (lower order) could play 150-200 balls.”

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