Ranji Trophy 2026-27: Virat and Aditya centuries propel Jharkhand to 587 at Keenan Stadium
On October 12, 2026 at Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand’s Virat Singh and Aditya Singh each scored centuries and combined for a 227-run sixth-wicket partnership in their Ranji Trophy match against Kerala.
The wicket at the Keenan Stadium was described as a batting paradise, with the pitch “a lot flatter than the road from the Ranchi airport to this city of steel” over the first two days; the pair’s application made the most of those conditions. Kerala endured a long day in the field, and seamer Edhen Apple Tom was unable to take the field after sustaining an injury, which increased the workload on the remaining bowlers.
Virat finished on 108 from 264 balls with nine fours while Aditya made 147 from 278 balls with 17 fours; the duo resumed at the overnight score of 289 for five and remained together through lunch and tea. Their sixth-wicket stand was worth 227 and played a central role in building Jharkhand’s total.
Aditya was the first to reach three figures and it was his maiden hundred in senior cricket. “I had scored hundreds in age-group cricket, but scoring a First Class hundred is indeed a different thing,” the spinning all-rounder said. “And I am glad that I could build that big partnership with the captain.”
“After losing four wickets quickly on the first day, our aim was to bat at least till the drinks break, and then we wanted to stay there till lunch,” the skipper said. The partnership ended when Vaisakh Chandran induced an edge with a ball that turned and had Virat caught at slip; the off-spinner finished with a five-wicket haul, his second in the Ranji Trophy.
The scores: Jharkhand — 1st Innings: Shikhar Mohan b Vaisakh 143, Sharandeep Singh b Jalaj 33, Utkarsh Singh c Baby b Jalaj 71, Virat Singh c Baby b Vaisakh 108, Robin Minz b Vaisakh 10, Kounain Quraishi c Baby b Vaisakh 10, Aditya Singh b Sarwate 147, Sahil Raj b Sarwate 19, Manishi Singh c Azharuddeen b Jalaj 20, Sushant Mishra lbw b Vaisakh 18, Saurabh Shekhar (not out) 0; Extras (b-4, lb-3, w-1): 8; Total (in 179.5 overs): 587. Fall of wickets: 1-87, 2-250, 3-252, 4-269, 5-279, 6-506, 7-534, 8-549, 9-570. Kerala bowling: Nidheesh 26-3-93-0, Edhen 10-1-45-0, Jalaj 51.5-12-126-3, Sarwate 36-6-116-2, Vaisakh 49-6-166-5, Abhishek 1-0-11-0, Vishnu 4-1-10-0, Baby 2-0-13-0.
The final session saw the dead track responding a bit to spin. That isn’t good news for Kerala, of course.
