Correspondent, 23 October: Twenty-one-year-old left-handed opening batsman Shikhar Mohan has received his maiden call-up to the India 'A' squad, replacing KL Rahul for the final two four-day matches against New Zealand 'A'. Rahul withdrew from the squad after participating in the opening four-day game against New Zealand 'A' following his selection in the one-day international team.
The Jharkhand youngster enters the India 'A' setup on the back of excellent rhythm in domestic cricket, having registered consecutive centuries in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. In Jharkhand's opening match, Mohan played a brilliant 143-run innings against Kerala at Jamshedpur's Keenan Stadium. He followed that performance by contributing 127 runs against Maharashtra in Pune.
During his debut 2025-26 season, Mohan amassed 613 runs with an average of 55.73, which included two centuries. He also delivered crucial knocks of 85 and 52 runs in both innings for the East Zone during the Duleep Trophy final. Additionally, while representing the 'Rest of India' squad in the Irani Cup, he compiled a solid 60 runs on a green pitch in Srinagar.
Former Jharkhand cricketer and Mohan's mentor, Ishan Jaggi, praised the young player's selection, noting his dominance in age-group cricket and consistent form over the past four to five years. "This is the right time to take the next step," Jaggi stated. "He is in excellent form and has scored two centuries in the Ranji Trophy. He also performed brilliantly in the Duleep Trophy final and Irani Cup."
Discussing his approach to the game, Mohan mentioned that he always aims to play big innings and works with his coach when he faces setbacks. "Before facing a ball, I talk to myself. I remind myself to keep an eye on the ball and stay focused," Mohan said. "This helped me a lot. Especially when I was in the Under-19 team, sir helped me with this. I started focusing on one ball at a time, and this approach really benefited me a lot."
The young batsman acknowledged the importance of his current progress. "Everyone goes through a phase, but it is necessary to understand that I am consistently scoring 70 and 80 runs, which is not a small achievement," Mohan added. "I am still a novice and I need to develop myself further, which is why I feel this selection has come at the right time."
Mohan is scheduled to depart for New Zealand on October 26 to join the India 'A' team in Christchurch. The second four-day match of the series will commence there on October 31.
