Jharkhand won 10 out of 11 games in the tournament.
Amit Rana (13* off 15) and Ishant Bhardwaj (17 off eight) could’ve inched closer in the remaining couple of overs of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final on December 18 in Pune. But Jharkhand took the wicket of the Haryana pacer to kick off SMAT 2025 victory celebrations. It is the State’s maiden trophy in the tournament, eventually breaking their jinx of losing to the same opponent three years ago in the quarter-final of the Ranji Trophy.
While MS Dhoni hung up his boots long ago, cricket hasn’t left him, and not just yet. He is actively involved in the decision-making of Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) alongside the secretary and joint-secretary, Saurabh Tiwary and Shahbaz Nadeem.
The veteran wicketkeeper-batter and former captain of India is known to be surrounded by young players for guidance. It’s a common sight when he dons the yellow jersey for the Chennai Super Kings, as other team players also greet him and pick his brain for advice.
The routine would continue for State cricket. While MS Dhoni would talk to all players, across gender, age group, and formats, his redirection played a role in Jharkhand’s historic win.
“I remember Dhoni telling me that instead of looking for fancy, high-end coaches, our desi coaches should be preferred. Players could understand exactly what’s expected from them, in their local language,” Nadeem shared while speaking to Sportstar.
Among the many changes introduced by MS Dhoni, he urged the JSCA to involve local coaches who could communicate with the players in local languages. While this may look like a minor tweak, it’s a change that helped players get out of their comfort zone and understand their roles with clarity. It was an attempt for a strong foundation before reaching new heights.
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Another key change that took place after Dhoni’s suggestion is the format of domestic cricket.
“We changed the format, especially at the junior level. Earlier, we used to have 50-over and limited-overs tournaments. But now, we have introduced two-day games at the U-16, U-19 level, which were earlier lacking,” Nadeem added.
With more games to practise, it honed the skills of the local players and prepared them for the big stage. As a result of these minor changes, Ishan Kishan & Co. returned with the trophy.
Jharkand crossed the 200-run mark five times in the tournament, and the 262/3 against Haryana in the final became their highest team score in T20s. Overall, the team won 10 out of 11 matches in the tournament.
Kishan’s individual records from SMAT 2025 are to name but a few. He was the leading run-getter of the tournament with 500+ runs. It is the third-highest sum of runs in a single edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
With his second century and fifth overall in SMAT, Kishan shares the record of most centuries in SMAT with his SRH teammate, Abhishek Sharma.
In the bowling department, Sushant Mishra and Rajasthan’s Ashok Sharma finished as the joint highest wicket-takers, each claiming 22 wickets. It is the most by any bowler in a single edition of the SMAT.
Kishan’s blazing knocks also helped him earn a spot in India’s upcoming T20I series against New Zealand and the T20 World Cup 2026 at home.
India will face the Kiwis for three ODIs starting January 11 in Vadodara, followed by five 20-over matches from January 21 in Nagpur. The T20 World Cup campaign will begin on February 7 against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium.
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