The meteoric rise of Shikhar Mohan

When India A assemble in Christchurch for the second four-day match against New Zealand A, among the many experienced players, like Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel and Mohammed Siraj, will be a 21-year-old left-hand opening batter from Doranda, Ranchi: Shikhar Mohan.

Life has moved at a dizzying pace of late for Mohan, who made his first-class debut - for Jharkhand - only in October 2025. Within a year and still only 12 first-class matches old, he has become Jharkhand's mainstay at the top of the order, made his Duleep Trophy and his Irani Cup debuts, and is now in New Zealand for the last two four-dayers.

There is a good reason why Mohan has caught the attention of those in the senior selection set-up in India. His flamboyance at the top of the order is reminiscent of his namesake Shikhar Dhawan, and Mohan is technically sound, has the patience to bat long and, crucially, has the numbers to back his reputation.

He was fast-tracked into the senior Jharkhand set-up after two sensational seasons at the Under-23 level: 623 runs in nine Col CK Nayudu Trophy (2023-24) innings at 77.88. He followed it up with 887 runs in 13 innings at 73.92 the next season. In his debut Ranji Trophy season (2025-26), Mohan announced himself with a double-century against Nagaland in just his third innings. He finished the season as Jharkhand's top run-getter with 613 runs in eight matches at 55.72.

The performance earned him a place in the 2026-27 Duleep Trophy squad. He did not play the first two games, but came in for the final replacing his Jharkhand team-mate Virat Singh, and scored 85 and 52 in the two innings as East Zone lifted the title. Mohan then made it to the Irani Cup squad, where he scored another half-century against Jammu & Kashmir with Rest of India winning the trophy.

"The Duleep Trophy experience was immense," Mohan told Cricinfo. "Sharing the dressing room with Ishan [Kishan] bhaiya and Abhimanyu [Easwaran] bhaiya was so great. I didn't get a chance in the first two matches but I noticed how the players prepare for their batting, how they get ready, what their routines are. It was such a nice experience."

While his time at the Duleep and Irani presented learning opportunities, Mohan was also gutted to not have converted any of the three fifties into a big century. On returning home, he went back to the drawing board, revisiting his dismissals and getting ready for the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season with renewed vigour.

"I worked on my back-foot game after the [Duleep Trophy]," he said. "I knew everyone [the bowlers] would be prepared for me. The Duleep Trophy matches were live, so I knew everyone would have seen how I got out and how I play. I was just preparing how I can get better in the second season. That was in my mind: what are my positives, what all I can add. There weren't any technical changes as such but more with the mindset: 'I need to score big, give myself time at the crease'. All of these things."

The behind-the-scenes work has reaped rewards. Often guilty of chasing balls away from his body and getting caught out of position, Mohan has tightened his defence and predominantly worked on his mindset. He began the 2026-27 Ranji season with 143 against Kerala and followed it up with 127 against Maharashtra. Soon after, the India A call came.

"Consistency is the main thing. If you are consistent, only then can you succeed at the top level," Mohan said. "Fifties, everyone can score. But if you want to come into the limelight, or catch the attention of the selectors, then you need to score the big centuries and need to score them consistently. That's my main focus. I just want to consistently score runs, and score the big runs.

"I have experience of playing red-ball cricket through age groups. Playing in senior cricket, the level is vastly different. But the one thing that remains the same is patience. And that's what I try to apply."

Two people Mohan greatly credits are former Jharkhand batter and current Under-23 head coach Ishank Jaggi and Jharkhand head coach Ratan Kumar for shaping his career and helping with the mental side of things.

"When I was playing Under-23 cricket, Ratan bhaiya was my coach for two consecutive years," he said. "It means a lot to any player to have the complete trust and support of their coach. Equally important is being able to share even the smallest of thoughts with them without any hesitation. For me, Ratan Bhai has always been that person."

On the other hand, having worked with Jaggi right from the Under-19 days, Mohan said talking to Jaggi helped "clear his mind".

"There is no doubt that the moment you watch Mohan, you can tell that he is an exceptionally talented cricketer," Jaggi said. "The very first thing we worked on was ensuring that at the start of his innings, he plays at least 40 balls close to his body. He continues to follow that approach even today. When it came to his mindset, we focused on just one thing: ensuring that he had clarity in everything he did. On the same pitch, different batsmen may approach their innings in different ways, but the defining quality of a good player is the clarity of thought and purpose with which he executes everything he does."

Another player whose journey serves as a source of inspiration for Mohan is Kishan. Having shared the dressing room with Kishan at Jharkhand and at the Duleep Trophy, Mohan wants to emulate the tenacity and composure the wicketkeeper-batter has brought into his game.

"Last year, Kishan bhaiya was with us during the Ranji Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He would talk to each one of us personally, watch out for shortcomings, and would take special interest in all of us," Mohan said. "Talking to him has helped us a lot. He is an exceptional player; that's there, but he has a very sharp mind.

"He has helped me a lot with my batting. In the Duleep Trophy final, I had a partnership with him [94 in the first innings and 126 in the second]. It was a red-soil wicket; I hadn't played on a red-soil wicket before. So he kept guiding me to adjust to the wicket.

"It's such an inspiring story. He [Kishan] was dropped from the India team, yet never gave up. The composure he's shown is great."

For now, Mohan's immediate challenge is in Christchurch, where he will get a chance to rub shoulders with some of India's finest.

The journey to India A colours has been swift and this next chapter will be about ensuring that the rise is not merely about promise but the beginning of something big.