A Transition Bearing Fruit: How Jharkhand’s red-ball vision shone through in Duleep Trophy 2026 final

Ishan Kishan (left) led the way for East Zone with his talismanic 270 and 80, and was ably supported by twin fifties from Shikhar Mohan. | Photo Credit: RAGU R

When East Zone won its second Duleep Trophy in 2012/13, there were two players from Jharkhand – Ishank Jaggi and Saurabh Tiwary – in the playing XI. Fourteen years later, as East Zone secured its third Duleep title, that number has jumped to an impressive five, while the side was marshalled by Ratan Kumar, the current Jharkhand coach.

More notably, all five – captain Ishan Kishan, Anukul Roy, Shikhar Mohan, Kumar Kushagra, and Md Kounain Qureshi – made important contributions as East Zone dominated South Zone in the sweltering Chennai heat.

Kishan led the way with his talismanic 270 and 80, ably supported by twin fifties from Mohan and a century from Kushagra. Anukul notched scores of 45 and 64, despite batting with a finger injury, and Qureshi sent down 40 overs with the ball before scoring his maiden First-Class ton.

“It’s always important when players do well for the state, play Duleep Trophy, and then do well there as well,” reflected Shahbaz Nadeem, former India and Jharkhand cricketer who is now Joint-Secretary of the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA).

“As an association we feel that we’ve been able to do something good for our players.”

The roots of that success were visible in Jharkhand’s quarterfinal run in the Ranji Trophy last season, where it topped its group featuring defending champion Vidarbha, as well as its success in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Nadeem, who, alongside former Jharkhand teammate Saurabh Tiwary, has been serving as an administrator in JSCA, explained that a clear focus had been placed on the development of the red-ball team.

“It was very important to us. Our team was in a transition phase, because all of the previous seniors like myself, Saurabh, Ishank Jaggi, Ashish Kumar, Varun Aaron, all retired within the span of one or two years. When the new red-ball team was formed, we were focussed on doing well because it’s the ultimate form of cricket,” he explained.

“We started the preparations early, first identifying players for red-ball and white-ball cricket. When we did that, we were able to clearly tell them which format they were being looked at for, and as players they were also able to prepare accordingly.”

That early clarity enabled players to make use of the facilities which were also made available for red-ball practice. “We told players that they could come to stay and practice at the academy in Ranchi at any time. Any player in the scheme of things for the Ranji Trophy team could come to stay and practice regularly,” Nadeem said.

“They had regular coaches and trainers looking after them. Those small things needed to do well were what we chose to focus on.”

Ratan, who also represented Jharkhand as a player, hailed the impact Nadeem and Tiwary had made as administrators, saying, “They have trusted us which has created a good atmosphere, and Jharkhand cricket is systematically rebuilding itself.

“When you have top-tier former players at the helm, you don’t have to waste time explaining basic cricketing needs – they already know what it takes to succeed at the highest level.”

Two products of this development are Mohan and Kushagra. The 21-year-old Mohan – Jharkhand’s top scorer in last year’s Ranji Trophy with 613 runs – notched scores of 85 and 53 in the final, while Kushagra – who was named in the India A squads against Australia A – scored a ton in the first innings.

Having coached both players from the U-16 level onwards, Ratan was full of praise for both batters, saying, “They’ve been working from the U-16 level. They’re very smart cricketers who are putting in so much effort, so the work of a coach becomes much easier! We just have to find a path for them, and they work on that. Now in the Duleep Trophy they’re going along shoulder-to-shoulder with senior players.”

Qureshi’s selection was a more curious one on the surface. The all-rounder was called into the East Zone squad as a replacement for Shahbaz Ahmed ahead of the semifinal, with no First-Class caps to his name, but showed impressive control and economy with the ball before peeling off a ton in just his fourth FC innings.

Ratan said that the 23-year-old – who has attended trials with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals – was selected based on his displays at youth level as well as his impressive showing for Jamshedpur Steelers at the recently concluded Jharkhand Premier League.

“He has a very bright future, and he really proved himself in a tough situation,” the East Zone coach said. “There were quite a few left-handers in the other team, so we were looking for an off-spinner who could play a role like Shahbaz does and Kounain was the best option for us.”

For all of the promising young talents, what has shone brightest is Kishan’s impact. Having captained Jharkhand to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year, he has added a red-ball tournament to his captaincy credentials, alongside a formidable win-loss record in the longer format (he has won nine and drawn seven of the 16 First-Class games he has led).

“When Ishan is on the field, the coach can sit back and feel completely relaxed. He commands the field exceptionally well – he knows how to captain the group, how to extract the best out of youngsters, and exactly what to say at important moments,” explained Ratan. “That makes the coach’s job so much easier. His mere presence brings a completely different energy.”

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