Shikhar Mohan’s 143 puts Jharkhand 289 for five against Kerala on Ranji Trophy opening day

Shikhar Mohan scored 143 as Jharkhand reached 289 for five against Kerala at Keenan Stadium on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy match on October 10, 2026. The left-handed opener’s innings anchored the hosts’ batting effort on day one.

Mohan arrived at the match carrying recent scores of 85 and 52 in the Duleep Trophy final and 60 in the Irani Cup, and Jharkhand elected to bat first. His stands for the first and second wickets produced the platform that put the hosts in a strong position before Kerala produced a late fightback to level the honours at stumps.

Shikhar’s century came off 196 balls and featured 18 fours and two sixes. Jharkhand were 250 for one at one stage but then lost four wickets for the addition of 29 runs, a slide sparked by off-spin spells from Jalaj Saxena and Vaisakh Chandran.

The opening partnership between Shikhar and Sharandeep Singh yielded 87, during which they coped with a probing new-ball spell from M.D. Nidheesh. Kerala’s breakthrough arrived after 26 overs when Jalaj Saxena dismissed Sharandeep with a delivery that disturbed the leg stump.

Utkarsh Singh joined Shikhar and their second-wicket stand reached 163 before Shikhar was bowled by Vaisakh. Utkarsh finished on 71 (147b, 9x4) but was dismissed soon after; Vaisakh then removed Robin Minz and Kounain Quraishi in quick succession, and captain Virat Singh held firm to ensure there was no further damage before stumps.

The scores: Jharkhand — 1st innings: Shikhar Mohan b Vaisakh 143, Sharandeep Singh b Jalaj 33, Utkarsh Singh c Baby b Jalaj 71, Virat Singh (batting) 12, Robin Minz b Vaisakh 10, Kounain Quraishi c Baby b Vaisakh 10, Aditya Singh (batting) 5; Extras (b-4, lb-1) 5; Total (for five wkts. in 90 overs): 289. Fall of wickets: 1-87, 2-250, 3-252, 4-269, 5-279. Kerala bowling: Nidheesh 12-2-33-0, Eden 10-1-45-0, Jalaj 31-7-80-2, Sarwate 15-4-44-0, Vaisakh 21-3-71-3, Abhishek 1-0-11-0.

Shikhar’s 143 was the first hundred of the 92nd edition of the Ranji Trophy, and Jharkhand closed the opening day on 289 for five.