Deodhar Trophy: 18-year-old Kumar Kushagra hammers career-best 98 versus NZone
East Zone wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra smoked a career-best 98 off 87 balls against North Zone in the 2023 Deodhar Trophy match. He rescued his side from the top-order collapse and played a knock of character. His stellar knock was studded with eight boundaries and four maximums. Kushagra would be gutted on missing out on his maiden List A century. Here are further details.
A crucial knock from Kushagra
Batting first in Puducherry, EZone's top and middle-order surrendered in the contest as the side was reeling at 57/5. Kushagra, who arrived at number seven, joined forces with Riyan Parag (131), and the duo added 235 runs for the sixth wicket. While Kushagra was cautious early on, he shifted gears after crossing the 50-run mark and played some fiery shots. Mayank Yadav dismissed him.
4th List A fifty for Kushagra
The 18-year-old made his List A debut for his state team Jharkhand in the 2021 Vijay Hazare Trophy. The wicketkeeper-batter has now raced to 413 runs in 13 games at an average of 59. His strike rate is over 82. Meanwhile, this was Kushagra's fourth List A fifty as his previous highest score in the format read 74.
Highest partnership of the 2023 Deodhar Trophy
The 235-run stand between Parag and Kushagra was the maiden double-century partnership of this season. Their efforts powered EZone to a mammoth total of 337/8. For North Zone, pacer Mayank Yadav was the pick of the bowlers with 4/63 in 10 overs. Meanwhile, Parag slammed 11 sixes during his knock. No other batter has even 10 maximums in the entire competition.
