‘Talented cricketers are not just in north or south’ – Ex-RCB star urges selectors after Jharkhand’s SMAT triumph

Former domestic cricketer Shreevats Goswami congratulated the Ishan Kishan-led Jharkhand for their fairytale run in their title-winning 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Jharkhand lost only one out of 11 matches in India’s recently-concluded premier domestic 20-over tournament.

Goswami, who has played for Bengal and Mizoram, also used the same moment to call out the long-standing perception among selectors and media that cricketing talent is largely concentrated to the northern and southern regions of the country. He also credited JSCA secretary Saurabh Tiwary and joint-secretary Shahbaz Nadeem for transforming Jharkhand cricket to greater heights.

“So happy for the Jharkhand players & support staff. Must mean the world to them, winning the SMAT. This clearly suggests talented cricketers are not just in north or south. Look around different states and you will find plenty. Also, kudos to my friend Saurabh Tiwary & Shahbaz Nadeem, who now run the show behind the scenes,” Goswami wrote on his official ‘X’ handle.

Jharkhand won the tournament by defeating Haryana in the final at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune by 69 runs on December 18. The 2025-26 SMAT title was only Jharkhand’s second top-tier domestic triumph after they had lifted the Vijay Hazare Trophy title, way back in 2011.

Ishan Kishan and Kumar Kushagra ended up on the first and third place on the list for the leading run-getters of the tournament with 517 runs and 422 runs in 10 innings each. Both of them possessed a strike rate at 197.32 and 161.68, respectively. Sushant Mishra and Anukul Roy starred with the ball with 22 wickets and 18 wickets at an economy rate of 8.92 and 7.41, respectively.

The next assignment for Jharkhand will be in the Vijay Hazare for the 2025-26 season of the premier 50-over event. They have been slotted in Elite Group A along with Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Puducherry and Tripura. Post the Vijay Hazare season, the side will resume their Ranji run where they are currently seated third in the Elite Group A table, beneath Vidarbha and Andhra.