Buchi Babu tournament: How did the Team India stars fare?
Ishan Kishan made a triumphant return to red-ball cricket at the pre-season Buchi Babu Invitational tournament in Tamil Nadu. After a year-long hiatus from domestic cricket, he scored an impressive 114 off just 107 balls. This outstanding performance propelled Jharkhand to an opening-round victory over Madhya Pradesh. Despite scoring only six runs across two innings in their subsequent match against Hyderabad, Kishan's initial performance was instrumental in keeping their semi-final hopes alive.
Kishan's leadership and match-winning performance
Kishan led Jharkhand in the tournament amid uncertainty about his participation. In their first match, he scored over half of his team's total runs, hitting five fours and 10 sixes. His innings helped Jharkhand secure a 64-run lead. This proved crucial as they narrowly won by two wickets while chasing a target of 175, with Kishan contributing an unbeaten 41 in this tense situation.
Sarfaraz Khan's debut as Mumbai's captain
In other news from the Buchi Babu Invitational tournament, Sarfaraz Khan made his debut as Mumbai's captain. With Ajinkya Rahane in the UK for a county stint and Suryakumar Yadav available for just one fixture, Khan was given this responsibility. However, his team exited the competition after one defeat and a draw against Haryana. Sarfaraz recorded scores worth 0, 6, 29 and 37 in his four innings.
Suryakumar's injury and Iyer's Narine moment
Suryakumar, India's T20I captain, participated in Mumbai's second group fixture against TNCA XI. However, his involvement was cut short after just 38 balls due to a hand injury sustained while fielding. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer grabbed attention for emulating Sunil Narine's bowling action in TNCA XI's first innings. He managed scores of 2 and 22 in a game where his off-spin bowling drew comparisons to his KKR teammate.
R Sai Kishore's impressive performance post-injury
R Sai Kishore, a tall left-arm spinner, made an impressive comeback from an injury that prematurely ended his IPL 2024 campaign. He took eight wickets for 88 runs against a strong Mumbai line-up. This included a five-wicket haul in the first innings to establish a substantial lead. His performance follows a successful 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season where he claimed 53 wickets in 15 innings.
