Ranji Trophy, Jharkhand take 1,008-run lead over Nagaland: Records broken
The extraordinary effort of Jharkhand batters in the Ranji Trophy game against Nagaland took the world by storm. Jharkhand took an astronomical lead of 1,008 after bowling out Nagaland on 289. This has become the highest aggregate lead in First-class history. Although the match ended in a draw, Jharkhand qualified for the quarter-finals with a massive first-innings lead (591). Here are the key stats.
Jharkhand tallied a mammoth 880 after Nagaland invited them to bat. Wicket-keeper Kumar Kushagra scored a phenomenal double-century, while Virat Singh and Shahbaz Nadeem slammed tons. Nagaland managed only 289 in reply (Chetan Bist: 122*). Despite taking a 591-run lead, Jharkhand opted to bat again. They finished on 417/6, taking the aggregate lead to 1,008. Anukul Roy smashed 153, while Kushagra settled on 89.
Jharkhand's aggregate lead of 1,008 runs is now the biggest in the history of First-class cricket. The previous record was held by Bombay, who took a 958-run lead over Maharashtra in the 1948/49 Ranji Trophy season.
𝗜𝗖𝗬𝗠𝗜
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) March 17, 2022
Jharkhand etched their name in the record books with a special feat during the @Paytm #RanjiTrophy 2021-22 #PQF against Nagaland. 🔝 👏 #JHAvNAG pic.twitter.com/U99xNw3d1S
Playing only his third First-class match, Kushagra slammed his maiden double-century. He smashed 266 (270) with the help of 37 fours and 2 sixes. Virat (107) and Nadeem (177) also smashed centuries. Rahul Shukla, who came in at number 11, registered an unbeaten 85. Anukul Roy was Jharkhand's top-scorer in the second innings (153). Utkarsh Singh (73) and Kushagra (89) recorded half-centuries.
Jharkhand racked up a total of 1,297 runs for 16 wickets over two innings against Nagaland. They scored 880 in the first innings, the ninth score of 800+ in Indian domestic cricket. Kushagra now has the second-highest individual score for Jharkhand in Ranji Trophy after Ishan Kishan (273). The former is the third-youngest to score a double-ton in the tournament's history.
