Kolkata: Kumar Kushagra’s maiden India call-up has given Jharkhand’s young Ranji Trophy squad another reason to believe, with coach Ratan Kumar hoping the wicketkeeper-batter’s rise to the national side will inspire his teammates to follow suit as they prepare for a challenging away clash against Maharashtra in Pune.Kushagra, initially drafted into the India A squad as Rishabh Pant’s replacement, earned his maiden senior India selection on Friday for the last two ODIs of the New Zealand tour. While Jharkhand will miss the youngster’s services, Ratan believes his achievement can lift the team’s morale.“As a coach, I am feeling top of the world. One boy whom we have been with for 2-3 years, if he is getting a chance for India, the whole team gets a very good feeling,” Ratan told STOI from Pune, ahead of the second-round match.The coach recalled how the news reached the squad after the team arrived in Pune. Kushagra had visited Jamshedpur a few days earlier, when Ratan met him at the hotel, but there had been no discussion about a possible India selection.“When we reached here, the boys got the news. At dinner, everyone was talking about it. Someone told the team, ‘Sir, see, he has got selected.’ The selection came a bit late yesterday, but everyone was very happy,” Ratan said. “The message in the group was that he deserves the place.”For Ratan, Kushagra’s achievement could also inspire Jharkhand’s young squad, whose average age is around 24, to aim for similar honours.“The youngsters and friends get the feeling that I can also do it. Among us, if a player is playing there (for India), everyone gets that feeling inside that we too can go there. So, this is a very good sign,” he added.Jharkhand will look to carry that positivity into their second-round Ranji Trophy Group C fixture against Maharashtra at the MCA Stadium starting Sunday. The visitors began their campaign with three points against Kerala in Jamshedpur after securing a first-innings lead, while Maharashtra opened with a victory over Services at the Palam Ground in New Delhi.The batting unit delivered a strong performance in Jharkhand’s opener, with young opener Shikhar Mohan, captain Virat Singh and Aditya Singh scoring centuries. Utkarsh Singh claimed five wickets in the match, while left-arm spinner Manishi and off-spinning all-rounder Md Kounain Quraishi also made useful contributions.Jharkhand will have another option in the spin department, with experienced all-rounder Anukul Roy returning after his India A assignment. His comeback sets up healthy competition with young Quraishi for a place in the playing XI.“Whoever suits the team’s needs best will be in the eleven. According to the situation, we make players play. It depends on whose skills are needed in that particular match,” said Ratan, emphasizing that selection would be dictated by conditions and team requirements.The red-soil surface at Gahunje could offer some assistance to the pacers, bringing Sushant Mishra and Saurabh Shekhar into focus against a formidable Maharashtra batting line-up.In-form opener and skipper Prithvi Shaw and experienced batter Ankit Bawne will pose a challenge, while the hosts will be further strengthened by the return of regular captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.Ratan, meanwhile, was encouraged by Jharkhand’s all-round showing in the opening game and believes there is scope to build on that performance. “The boys just need to deliver, then definitely we will play very good cricket,” he said.Jharkhand will now look to translate that confidence into another solid performance on the road against a strong Maharashtra side buoyed by its winning start.
