Ishan Kishan continued his rich vein of form with a finishing masterclass on Day 1 of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Captaining Jharkhand, the left-hander invoked the MS Dhoni spirit and shifted himself down the order to add late impetus to his team's innings at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Batting at No.6, Kishan scored a 33-ball century, eventually bashing a scarcely believable 125 off just 39 balls with 14 sixes.
The Jharkhand skipper's century is the second fastest hundred in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, only behind Sakibul Gani's effort against Arunachal Pradesh on the same day. Kishan however did so against domestic heavyweights Karnataka, continuing his remarkable purple patch.
Kishan put on a show of his versatility which the selectors will paid a keen eye to. He walked into bat with Jharkhand at 239/4 in 38 overs, scoring just over run a ball. Playing his first game since making a comeback to the Indian team, Kishan cut loose. In his 39-ball stay, the left-hander struck 14 sixes and seven fours to make 125 and push his team’s total in excess of 400. He boasted of a strike of 320, clearing the fence with utmost ease.
Kishan came into the Vijay Hazare Trophy on the back of guiding Jharkhand to their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Final. He scored a century in the final where he had opened the batting. Now, 6 days later, Kishan shunted himself down the order and was able to deliver more impact.
Kishan's decision to move down to 6 can be seen as risky but he made the most of it with his blitzkrieg. The Sunrisers Hyderabad usually is a top order batter in limited overs cricket, but took on the role of a finisher despite being the best batter of his side. He has a double hundred at the top of the order in ODIs, but still accepted a role down the order.
It could be a welcome move given India's lack of natural finishers. Kishan is part of India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad and the IND vs NZ. While his selection was explained as a move to bat him at the top of the order, Kishan has shown he can also do a job lower down the order.
The left-hander is comfortable facing both spin and pace and his ability to tee off from the go can be taken into his advantage. India have Rinku Singh as their designated finisher alongside Hardik Pandya. Ishan thus could force himself into that spot should Samson nail down the opening spot.
India play 5 T20Is before the T20 World Cup 2026 kicks off on February 7. Ishan has done the impossible by forcing him into the selection plans by a stellar SMAT T20. Maybe the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the IND vs NZ could lead him to make a spot in the XI his own.
