New Delhi, Oct 22 — Jharkhand’s left-handed batter Shikhar Mohan will link up with the India A side from the second four-day game of their tour of New Zealand. India A will open their three-match four-day series against New Zealand A in Lincoln on October 24.
The second game will be played at the Hagley Oval before the tour wraps up in Lincoln on November 7. "He will be there with the India A team from the second game onwards. Some changes are expected to be made to the India A team due to a few players being a part of the ODI series against New Zealand.
“So, for now Shikhar will be there with the India A side from the second game onwards," a source familiar with the development said to IANS on Thursday. KL Rahul and Anshul Kamboj, both part of the India A set-up, have been named for the first three ODIs.
Meanwhile, Auqib Nabi and Kumar Kushagra have been picked for the last two games of the five-match series. Shikhar’s call-up to India A team caps a rapid rise for him since he made his senior debut barely a year ago.
Mohan has been in prolific form for Jharkhand in the ongoing Ranji Trophy, hammering 143 against Kerala before following it up with scores of 27 and 127 against Maharashtra in Pune in the second round of the competition.
He had also made a strong impression on his Duleep Trophy debut, scoring twin fifties for East Zone in the final against South Zone and playing a vital role in his side's title triumph at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Earlier this month, Shikhar struck 60 in the first innings for Rest of India in their Irani Cup win over Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar. Born in Ranchi in May 2005, Mohan honed his skills at the Ranchi Cricket Academy and went on to represent Jharkhand at the Under-16, Under-19 and Under-23 levels before making his senior debut at 20, in a Ranji Trophy game against Tamil Nadu in Coimbatore in October last year.
He amassed 613 runs in his maiden Ranji Trophy campaign. Shikhar has been equally effective in the 50-over format, scoring 391 runs from seven List A matches at an average of 55.85, with two hundreds and a best score of 129.