Kishan shows new side to his game in Ranji Trophy as he rescues Jharkhand with a rather uncharacteristic century.
‘I need to be very smart’ – bitten and shy Kishan shows off his new gears.
Regardless of the level he is playing at, Ishan Kishan is present-oriented and wants to take advantage of any chance he gets.
He started with a back-to-the-wall century, his tenth in first-class cricket, to save his team after the top order faltered against Tamil Nadu on a greenish track at Coimbatore. He is now captaining Jharkhand in the 2025–26 Ranji Trophy.
Kishan faced 183 deliveries and finished the first day undefeated at 125. With an uninterrupted 150-run partnership between Kishan and Sahil Raj for the seventh wicket, this helped Jharkhand finish convincingly at 307 for 6.
“At this stage, I need to be very smart,” he said after the day’s play to The Indian Express. “You need to understand the importance of the Ranji Trophy. You need to understand the importance of these matches when you play against big teams.”
Shortly after lunch, with Jharkhand struggling at 79 for 3, Kishan walked out to bat at No. 5. He sat down for the majority of the following two periods, largely ignoring the big hits. He displayed some control, as seen by the fact that he only hit two sixes during his innings.
“You make so many mistakes initially in your career and then later you realise the real meaning of experience,” he said. “You have to be in the middle and only then you can change the game.
“I was checking the wind when the left-arm spinner was bowling. I really wanted to go hard against him. But looking at the scoreboard, six wickets down did not feel right for me. I did it [bat with caution] once in the Irani Cup and here in the Ranji Trophy, where I’m the experienced and the only India player in the team, my job was to ensure we were batting at stumps.
“Whenever I go in with a target, I just do very badly,” Kishan said. “I just do something which is not important. So let’s not keep any target this season. Just keep on batting. If you are in the middle, you will get as many runs as you want. That’s the only goal for me.”