Sanju Samson, Rohan Kunnummal tons power Kerala to 8-wicket win over Jharkhand

Sanju Samson did what he does best- score runs- and he was joined by Rohan Kunnummal as Kerala cruised to a dominant eight-wicket victory over Jharkhand in their Vijay Hazare Trophy match on Saturday, powered by centuries from the duo. 

Chasing a challenging target of 311, Kerala's openers made the contest one-sided from the outset, leaving the Jharkhand bowlers with little room to recover. Samson scored a composed 101 off 95 balls, while Kunnummal played aggressively with a blistering 124 off just 78 deliveries.

The opening pair stitched together a massive 212-run partnership before Kunnummal was dismissed by Vikas Singh. His knock included eight fours and 11 sixes. Jharkhand found little respite thereafter as Samson continued to anchor the chase.

Soon after bringing up his century, Samson was trapped leg-before by Shubham Singh, when the score was 248. Baba Aparajith and Vishnu Vinod then ensured there were no further hiccups, guiding Kerala home with 45 balls to spare. Aparajith finished unbeaten on 41, while Vishnu remained not out on 40.

Earlier, an unbeaten 143 from Kumar Kushagra powered Jharkhand to a competitive total, with Anukul Roy providing solid support with a 72. However, a four-wicket haul from MD Nidheesh ripped through Jharkhand's lower order, restricting them to 311. 

Brief Score: Jharkhand 311/7 in 50 overs (Kumar Kushagra 143 not out, Anukul Roy 72, Nidheesh 4/46, Baba Aparajith 2/56) defeated by Kerala 313/2 in 42.3 overs (Rohan Kunnummal 124, Sanju Samson 101, Baba Aparajith 41 not out, Vishnu Vinod 40 not out, Shubham Singh 1/46)