Beyond Mahendra Singh Dhoni: Jharkhand, the new hotbed of young cricketing talent

Chennai: Beyond the iconic legacy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Jharkhand’s cricketing ecosystem is experiencing a marked surge in talent, highlighted by the selection of five state players for the East Zone Duleep Trophy squad.

The regional side features Jharkhand skipper Ishan Kishan, experienced batter Virat Singh, and key contributors Kumar Kushagra, Shikhar Mohan, and Anukul Roy. While Roy is already well-known through his Indian Premier League appearances, state administrators hold high expectations for 21-year-olds Kushagra and Mohan.

Addressing the state's expanding representation, Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) secretary Saurabh Tiwary highlighted the team's depth.

"This (state players in East Zone) is the true reflection of Jharkhand cricket at the moment and all of the are deserving to be there, In fact another talented player Sharandeep did not get selected (for Duleep Trophy)," Tiwary said.

"I am very surprised with Kumar (Kushagra). He is very young but his maturity level is very high. And Roy, you know, he is one of the best players we have here. He got five wickets (5/37) in the Duleep Trophy quarterfinal (vs North East Zone)," he noted.

"But he has been performing well since last season's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Yeah, and Kushagra too scored a lot of runs for us in that tournament. Mohan is also showing a lot of promise and he had an excellent first domestic season and now hopefully he will carry on," Tiwary added.

Former Tamil Nadu batter and national selector Sreedharan Sharath also praised the state's developmental trajectory, observing on the sidelines of the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone: "Some very good young cricketers are coming from Jharkhand."

Kushagra, who made his first-class debut in 2022 at age 18, has compiled over 2,000 red-ball runs with six centuries. He was also instrumental during Jharkhand's maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title run last season, accumulating 422 runs in 10 innings at an average of 60.28. Mohan, having debuted in the 2025–26 season, averages 55 with two hundreds.

"They contribute so well for the team in every format they play, not just big scores, you know these important 40s and 50s which make a lot of difference in the match," Tiwary said.

Tiwary and JSCA joint secretary Shahabaz Nadeem have introduced fundamental reforms to the local tournament structure to focus on multi-day red-ball resilience over short-form cricket.

"You know, I have played 25 years for Jharkhand at various age groups. So, I know the level of cricket and I know where the fault is and where the positive thing is in the state. Me and Nadeem have been changing our domestic cricket structure. You know, junior cricketers were playing one-day cricket earlier. But from last year, we changed the league stage into two-day matches, knockout matches into three-day, and the final into a four-day contest," Tiwary explained.

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"We are focussing on developing skills, not focusing just on the performance. If players can develop their skill levels in junior cricket, if their technique is good, then the players can score hundreds, double hundreds, and even triple hundreds. A good technique is essential to play irrespective of the format," he said.

The strategic shift was visible during the Duleep Trophy, where Mohan crafted a disciplined 85 off 120 balls.

"I think the journey has been great. My first Ranji Trophy season went really well. So, the plan for this match (Duleep Trophy) was to carry forward that form and maintain the momentum," Mohan said.

Jharkhand Under-23 coach Ishan Jaggi emphasized that technical durability remains the priority at the junior level.

"Our plan is to nurture young boys and get them ready for the upper level of cricket. Accordingly, we were playing practice matches for the under-23s in Pondicherry," Jaggi said.

"The more matches you play, the more situations you face, the more adaptation you get as a player. You bat for a longer duration...that is when you start getting 100s and that becomes a habit. So, until and unless you have that concentration to bat for a longer period of time, you cannot succeed in red ball cricket, which is different from T20 cricket where you have a maximum of 20 overs (to bat)."

India wicketkeeper-batter and East Zone captain Ishan Kishan reinforced the importance of building a big-scoring mentality across the squad.

"Converting starts is a habit, and historically, I feel that's an area where our East Zone setup has lagged -- we never really built that culture. We were often content with scoring 70s or 80s, while set batters from opposing teams consistently converted them into massive scores. I was trying to drum into them (young Jharkhand batters) that scoring big is a habit: when you're set, go on and get a big score so you don't look back with regret thinking, 'I threw it away on 80'," Kishan said.

Looking ahead, JSCA leadership aims to expand infrastructural access beyond Ranchi's JSCA International Stadium Complex and Jamshedpur's Keenan Stadium.

"...we have only one stadium (JSCA International Stadium Complex). The Keenan Stadium is under the Tata group, and we have an excellent relationship with them, thus, we get to play Ranji matches and some other domestic matches there," Tiwary noted.

"So we are trying to build new academies. We have four zones here and we are trying to establish one academy in each of those zones. So, the young players, women cricketers don't need to travel all the way to Ranchi to have top class training facilities," Tiwary added. (PTI)