Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024: Mohit Jangra, the all-rounder who embodies Mizoram’s fighting spirit

Jangra is currently the second-highest run-scorer in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 252 runs at a whopping average of 126 while striking the ball at 157.50 in five games.

Mohit Jangra bowling for the Highfield Cricket Club in the Liverpool and District Cricket Competition. | Photo Credit: Instagram/@mohitjangraofficial.9

Mizoram almost stunned defending champion Punjab during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last week until Harpreet Brar took the game into the Super Over and turned the result around. It would’ve been a big win for a State that is slowly developing into a competitive side in Indian domestic cricket.

“Learning from the match was not to take anything casually and be serious till the last ball. We’ll keep it in mind if something like this happens again,” Mizoram all-rounder Mohit Jangra reflected.

Mizoram was one of the nine teams to be inducted into the system in 2018 and has been competing across all formats since then. It registered its first-ever win in 2018 during the Vijay Hazare Trophy against Sikkim and has won four more List-A games out of 37 since. In T20s, it only has two wins in 41 matches. Mizoram has been victorious in seven out of 37 First Class games, playing in the Plate group. 

“We have improved a lot. We practice a lot and the coaches are working hard. When there are new players, there’s always a bit of pressure. I am sure that in the next one or two years, Mizoram will be playing really good cricket,” Jangra said.

About the cricketing ecosystem in Mizoram, Jangra added: “Cricket is played throughout the year. There’s one main ground and quite a few academies there. The players are coming up slowly.”

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The 25-year-old has been a standout performer for Mizoram as a guest player, having made his First Class debut for the northeastern side in January earlier this year. He has scored 693 runs in 18 innings so far at an average of 43.31 and is already the third-highest wicket-taker for Mizoram with 62 scalps in 11 matches as a left-arm pacer.

He is currently the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 252 runs at a whopping average of 126 while striking the ball at 157.50 in five games. In the match against Punjab, he scored an unbeaten 67 off 34 balls and later removed Abhishek Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh with the new ball.

“So far, it (tournament) is going pretty well. I couldn’t score today, but otherwise, it has been good. I’ll continue to back myself going forward,” Jangra said after the loss against Bihar, where he scored 14.

After representing Uttar Pradesh since his Under-16 days and playing his first FC match in 2019, Jangra shifted base to Mizoram in 2023 following an injury, marking a new chapter in his career.

Mohit Jangra (second from right) during his time at UP in 2019. | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR/The Hindu

“From U-16 in 2015 till 2021, I played for UP. It was all going well before I had an injury in 2022. There was a lot of competition since there were many bowlers. I just wanted to play cricket, doesn’t matter from where I play. I gave trials for Mizoram at NCA Bengaluru and got selected,” Jangra, who also played for the India U19 team in 2019, said.

Earlier this year, Jangra was offered to play for United Kingdom’s Highfield Cricket Club in the Liverpool and District Cricket Competition, a first-division tournament. He bagged 73 wickets and scored 685 runs, including two centuries in 20 matches.

“When I completed my five FC games, I was offered to play in the county. I thought I could work on my game there because we used to play one match a week. The rest of the days, we had time to focus on training and analysing our game,” Jangra said.

“Bowling there helped me learn to consistently bowl during long spells on green tracks. Then I used to bat higher up the order, so I got the hang of playing in those conditions as well,” he added.

After each match, Jangra analyses his performance using videos and scorecards while studying his upcoming opponents. His sharp analytical mindset is evident when he discusses the T20 format. “In T20s, there are no big and small teams. Last day, we were close to a win, and today we lost one-sided. So in T20s, you cannot underestimate any team.”

With this understanding of the format, Jangra is working to get selected in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“It’s a short format, so you need a range of shots. You need to score a 20-ball 50 or 20-ball 40. In bowling, you need a variety of balls like yorker, slower ones, and the slower bouncer. You need to have these special things to get selected for IPL, as far as I have noticed,” Jangra, who has been a net bowler for Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals previously, said.

He aims to see himself playing IPL next year or the year after. “I am trying to do my best and hoping for the best,” he signed off.