Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy | I play according to the situation, says Kushagra after playing ‘best innings’ against Punjab

Kumar Kushagra is not new to challenges. In crunch situations, the top-order batter has time and again bailed Jharkhand out. But by his own admission, one of his best innings came in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League fixture against Punjab on Friday where he made the mammoth run chase look so easy with an unbeaten 86 runs off 42 balls.

Chasing 236, Kushagra dealt in fours and sixes as Jharkhand romped home with 11 balls to spare and pulled off the highest-ever chase in the history of the tournament. On a rather ‘sticky’ surface at the DY Patil Academy ground in Ambi, batting wasn’t easy, but the youngster backed himself and cut out the noise.

“Initially, the wicket was a bit sticky, but as a team, we hoped that things would be better in the second innings. But we did not expect Punjab to score 234, so when we got down to the chase, the plan was to ensure that the top-three batters hang in there, because to win such games, you need contribution from both senior and junior players,” Kushagra told the The Hindu on Saturday.

Having won all its group league games, the team was high on confidence, and after Ishan Kishan provided the team with a steady start, Kushagra’s job was to ensure that he batted till the end. “Earlier, when I was young in the team, I would think a lot about how to approach a game, and which shots to play, and that eventually added a lot of pressure. But now, I just play according to the situation, instead of thinking about Plan A or Plan B. If you can play according to the situation, it actually helps,” the 21-year-old, who has amassed 316 runs in SMAT so far, added.