Shikhar Mohan: Sure, still and steadfast

Shikhar Mohan. PC – TNCA

 

With East Zone’s score reading 133 for 2 in the Duleep Trophy final, the left-hand batter from Jharkhand, Shikhar Mohan, cracked a punch that exemplified his promise. The downswing was straight, and at the nth moment, he closed the bat face ever so slightly as the ball rocketed away wide of long-on. Another salient feature of his innings was how he dismantled Tripurana Vijay’s spin threat with lofts down the ground.

 

The macro picture was that of a batter who strode out to the middle with a confident gait and composed a fluent knock of 85. Just delve deeper into his fledgling career, and you will unearth a few anecdotes to gauge his self-belief, which was on display in the sweltering heat of Chennai.

 

For a moment, let’s revisit a Cooch Behar Trophy game, where Mohan showed resilience to overcome poor form and pain.

 

“In the Cooch Behar Trophy, in three matches I didn’t score runs,” he said to RevSportz. “While playing Uttar Pradesh, in the first innings I got around 20. Then we had to chase a target of around 400 runs. In that innings, I scored 100 not out, we were around 40 runs short, we didn’t lose the match, the day got over.

 

“I got hit by a ball on my chest when I was playing on 20. Then again, I batted and scored the hundred. I think that time was very memorable to me, because I was batting through pain,” he added.

 

At that moment of the discussion, Mohan took another jog down memory lane, which in turn once more capsulised his mental make-up.

 

“In my first season, I scored 623 runs in the CK Nayudu Trophy. I scored a double hundred and a hundred. I thought that next season I will be in the Ranji squad. They wanted an opener that time, but I was not selected.

 

“There was pressure to score more, but I took it as an opportunity. The next season, I scored around 900 runs (887). And then I also played for the Rest of India Under-23. After that, it all went well. And I got selected in the Ranji,” he observed.

 

While poring through the above-mentioned lines, the punch off Siraj in the Duleep Trophy final seems to act as the connecting dot to his qualities: still, sure and steadfast. Those durable characteristics were on display during his maiden Ranji Trophy season too. In his first match, he was cleaned up for a mere 10 runs against Tamil Nadu. Just that, he ended the season with 613 runs at an average of more than 55.

 

“It was my first Ranji season. So, there was pressure,” he noted. “My first game was against Tamil Nadu, there was pressure, because I was opening the batting, the pitch was favourable to the pacers. It was fun out there, but I got out early. I then got a double hundred against Nagaland. And a good 60 against Vidarbha in my second match, it was a tough pitch as well. So, I really enjoyed that.

 

“It was a good Ranji season for us, because we went to the quarter-finals. The quarter-finals didn’t go well, but the bonding between the seniors and the juniors was very nice. My first Ranji season went well. So, thanks to God for this. And I had a good Vijay Hazare campaign as well.”

 

Mohan’s aspirations went beyond just the two longer formats of the game. His next aim was to crack the T20 code. As it turned out, in the 2026 Jharkhand Premier League, he compiled 322 runs at a strike rate of nearly 170.

 

“I was playing in a league for the first time. I was a part of the Mushtaq Ali Trophy (Jharkhand) squad. But not the year which we won. It was a challenge to me, it all went well in the first season of the Jharkhand Premier League.

 

“I think I was the fourth highest scorer in the tournament. I just wanted to show everyone that I am there to play in T20 cricket. Not just one-day and day matches. I wanted to play all the formats,” he asserted.

 

Mohan has another skill up his sleeve; he is a useful left-arm spinner too. In the summit clash of the Duleep Trophy, with Anukul Roy suffering a finger injury, he bowled 20 overs in the first innings and picked up two wickets.

 

“I am regularly bowling in white-ball cricket. But in red-ball cricket, I never bowled 20 overs. This was my first time in a Duleep Trophy final, and I was bowling 20 overs,” he said. “I have bowled in the Ranji Trophy but not 10 overs or say 7-over spells. It would be small spells of 4 overs or 3 overs. Anukul Bhaiya was not there, so I had to take that up, bowling left-arm spin. I responded and I bowled in one area regularly. The pitch was helping a bit; I got two wickets.”

 

Mohan also comes across as a good listener, always willing to gain valuable insights from his seniors and coaches. In the Duleep Trophy, timely advice from Ishan Kishan helped him with regard to shot selection for the prevailing conditions.

 

“In the Duleep Trophy, one ball, I swept off a top spinner. Ishan bhaiya immediately said, ‘Not to sweep on this wicket, just play according to the ball, let them do something else, they will automatically give you runs.’ I think that helped me a lot over there.

 

“In the Ranji season, he was not there in a couple of matches. But whenever he was there, he was very helpful to us and our team. And he is a great captain as well,” he said.

 

Ahead of the final, Mohan also sought advice from Ratan Kumar, the head coach of East Zone and Jharkhand, and Ishank Jaggi, former Jharkhand cricketer, to know more about playing on a red-soil wicket.

 

“Before the final, Ratan sir told me how to bat, how to adjust the red-soil wicket,” he said. “Because you are not used to the red-soil wicket. So that helped me a lot. I also talked to Jaggi Bhaiya, the day before the match. He also helped me a lot. He had a lot of experience.

 

“I think the East Zone batters are not familiar with the red-soil wicket. Because in the east, we get black soil over here. So, everyone adjusted very well. The wicket was very nice, batting-wise. I think it was a little bit slow, and that favoured us. After scoring 700 runs, it’s not easy to get back to the game,” he reckoned.

 

Mohan also spoke about how his family members have turned out to be the backbone of his career.

 

“My father also used to play cricket in his days. I think he always wanted me to play a good level of cricket. That’s why he never stopped me from doing anything. He always said to me, ‘Do this and do this.’ All the right things in cricket, which he didn’t do in his early days. My whole family supports me. Like my father, mother and my younger sister as well.”

 

Mohan, who calls himself an “introvert”, has chosen the right role model too: Virat Kohli. “I always used to look towards Virat Kohli. His aggression, how he bats, how he prepares before a match, how he bats in his nets. I like his attitude, I like Kohli.”

 

In a nutshell, Mohan’s simple mantra seems to be to do the right things and believe in his process.

 

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