There was a time when Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the face of Jharkhand cricket but now the story has changed. Players like Ishan Kishan and Kumar Kushagra have given a new identity to Jharkhand cricket. This year, Jharkhand players showed amazing performance in Duleep Trophy. The East Zone team that won the final included five players from Jharkhand. He played an important role in making East Zone champion.
Captain Ishan Kishan played innings of 270 and 80 runs, while Kushagra scored 101 and 46 runs. Apart from scoring half-centuries in both the innings (85 and 52), Shikhar Mohan also took 2 wickets. Anukul Roy played an inning of 45 and 64 not out. Whereas Mohammad Konan Qureshi took 2 wickets after scoring 40 runs in the first innings and then played an unbeaten inning of 116 runs in the second innings.
The movement of all the players together shows that Jharkhand has become the new bastion of cricketing talent. Former Tamil Nadu batsman and national selector Sreedharan Sharath said during the Duleep Trophy final between East Zone and South Zone, 'Some very good young cricketers are coming from Jharkhand.'
Also read: Harshit Rana out of Afghanistan series and Asian Games, Yash Thakur joins Team India
Saurabh Tiwari was elated with the performance of Jharkhand players
East Zone's Duleep Trophy squad included 6 players from Jharkhand, captain Ishan Kishan, experienced Virat Singh, Kumar Kushagra, Shikhar Mohan, Anukul Roy and Mohammad Conan Qureshi. Of these, 5 were seen playing the final. Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) secretary Saurabh Tiwari told news agency PTI, 'Having five players from the state in the East Zone team shows the progress of Jharkhand cricket. Even another talented player Sharandeep was a contender for selection.
Tiwari, a former Indian batsman and a regular player of IPL, praised Kushagra and Mohan a lot. He said, 'I am very impressed with the performance of Kumar (Kushagra). He is young but very mature. As far as Anukul is concerned, he is one of the best players of our place.
Tiwari said, 'Mohan is also a very talented player and he performed brilliantly in the domestic season. Hopefully he will continue this further.
Also read: Asian Games: India's medal hopes get a blow, wrestler Deepak trapped in doping
JSCA secretary is impressed by his acumen
Kushagra made his debut in first class cricket in 2022 at the age of 18. He has scored more than 2000 runs in the red ball format with the help of six centuries, while Mohan, who made his debut in the 2025-26 season, has scored at an average of 55. He has also scored two centuries so far.
Tiwari said, 'Kushagra contributes very well to the team in every format. Along with making big scores, he has also been contributing 40 and 50 runs which make a huge difference in the match.
Tiwari, who has played 413 matches across all formats for Jharkhand, knows very well what he needs to do to take the state's cricket forward. He said, 'I have played cricket for Jharkhand for 25 years in different age groups. So I know his level of cricket and I know where there are shortcomings and where there are positive aspects.
Tiwari said, 'We are not just focusing on performance but also on skill development. If players can hone their skills in junior cricket and if their technique is good, they can score centuries, double centuries and even triple centuries.'