Kumar Kushagra is an Indian cricketer who gained attention when Delhi Capitals picked him up for Rs. 7.2 crore during the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Kumar Kushagra was born on Saturday, 23 October 2004 (age 19 years; as in 2023) in Ramnagar, Bokaro, Jharkhand. His zodiac sign is Libra. He did his schooling from Loyola School, Jamshedpur. She is pursuing her Bachelor of Arts degree from Kolhan University, Jamshedpur. At the age of 2-3 his father used to take him to sports academies. Although he could not formally enroll due to his young age, his father inspired him to watch the actions of other players and learn from them.
When Kumar Kushagra started playing cricket
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 6″
Hair Color: Black
Eye color: gray
Family
parents and siblings
Kushagra’s father’s name is Shashikant, who was working as District Commissioner in the GST Department.
Kumar Kushagra’s father
His mother’s name is Pushpa Devi, who is a housewife.
Mother of Kumar Kushagra
He has a younger brother, Kalash, and a younger sister, Sara.
Kumar Kushagra with his family
livelihood
He has not yet made his debut in international cricket. He started playing cricket at the Bokaro Cricket Coaching Academy, where he trained in a nearby hostel. In the 2014-15 season, he became a part of the Bokaro District Under-14 team. At the age of 12, his life changed a lot as he was selected for Jharkhand Under-16. From then on, cricket became his primary focus. He made a notable entry into cricket with the 2016 Vinoo Mankad Trophy. In 2019, Kushagra caught the attention of the selectors for India U19 due to his remarkable performances in the U19 Vinoo Mankad Trophy. He emerged as the top run-scorer in the tournament with 535 runs in 7 matches, even though Jharkhand did not reach the final. He was selected for the Indian team in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup.
Kumar Kushagra did wicketkeeping during the World Cup
At just 15, Kushagra was the youngest player to make it to the final, where they lost to Bangladesh by a narrow margin. He played a key role in the match against Japan by scoring 13 not out from 11 balls, which helped India chase the target of 42 runs and win by 10 wickets. On 20 February 2021, he made his List A cricket debut, playing for Jharkhand in the 2020–21 Vijay Hazare Trophy. On 4 November 2021, he made his Twenty20 cricket debut, playing for Jharkhand in the 2021–22 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. During the tournament, he scored 111 runs in six matches for Jharkhand. On 24 February 2022, he made his first-class cricket debut, playing for Jharkhand in the 2021–22 Ranji Trophy. Despite being selected for the Jharkhand team last season, he had to miss the 2020 U-19 World Cup due to his participation in the pre-tournament camp. When he was 17, he scored a remarkable double century against Nagaland in the pre-quarterfinals of the 2022 Ranji Trophy. This feat marked him as the youngest batsman to score 250 or more runs in a first-class innings, breaking a long-standing record. Set by Javed Miandad. In the 2022 Deodhar Trophy, Kushagra made an impact as the sixth-highest run-scorer, scoring a total of 227 runs in five innings with a remarkable strike rate of 109.13. He played a vital role by scoring a half-century for East Zone in the final despite the loss to South Zone. It was during this match that he came to know about Delhi Capitals’ interest in him for the first time. A commentator carried a message from the franchise’s team director Sourav Ganguly. In the 2022–23 and 2023–24 Vijay Hazare Trophy seasons, he showcased his skills as a top-order batsman by scoring 275 and 164 runs respectively. In the IPL 2024 auction held in Dubai, Delhi Capitals bought him for Rs. 7.2 crores.
Kumar Kushagra after being selected by Delhi Capitals
Facts/General Knowledge
- His jersey number is #1 (India).
- His home team is Jharkhand.
- He is a right handed batsman.
- Initially, he played as a batsman. But after watching MS Dhoni and being impressed by his specific wicketkeeping technique, he decided to incorporate it during a game. This choice inspired him to take up wicketkeeping as a profession.
- In middle school, he was a dedicated student who focused on his studies.
- When he was a child, an important part of his training routine included sessions with his father. His father applied coaching principles from the great Bob Woolmer’s famous book ‘The Art and Science of Cricket’.
- In an interview, he mentioned that he had limited practice time. The training session, held from 3 to 6 pm, was so hectic that he could not get enough batting practice. As a result, his father started waking him up at 5 a.m., and he would practice until 7 a.m. before he went to school.
- Even though his father did not receive formal cricket training, he guided Kushagra by reading cricket books. His father’s collection included not only Bob Woolmer’s book but also NCA books, which provided technical guidance for batting techniques. Talking about this in an interview, his father said,
Whatever the great people have written, be it Lewis, Bradman or Waugh, I find it somehow or the other. I would go and look at people on the nets and try to figure out the techniques and then come back and read what the books had to say about it. There were at least 60-70 shots and techniques that I made a list of. Every day, I would make Kumar practice one of them.
- Since the domestic season was about to start soon the state association refused to release him from the team. Then Ganguly came in direct contact with the young player. Talking about this in an interview he said,
Saurav sir called me personally. He said that Delhi Capitals is looking at me for their team. He appreciated my performance in the last two years and wanted to see me play. I attended a camp in Gurugram and performed well in a trial match. I played in the second camp in Bengaluru and scored 60 runs in 25 balls. In Kolkata, I again scored 60 runs in 23 balls.
- Right after being selected by Delhi Capitals, he called his mother and both of them became emotional and shed tears. Talking about the auction in an interview, he said,
I was alone in my room at that time. I finished my practice early, returned straight to my room, took out my mobile and started following the auction. This was because the TV was not working in my room. My name was at 55th position. As soon as it was to be announced, he took a break. I had not eaten anything and by then it must have been 6 or 6:30 in the evening. I was so angry! But then, finally my name came up. Chennai Super Kings started the bidding and the bid reached Rs 60 lakh. I started getting a lot of calls back-to-back. I think I must have received at least 15 calls. And I was watching the auction on my phone, so I kept dismissing them and the streaming kept stopping. I couldn’t follow it properly; The next thing I saw, the bid went up to Rs 7.20 crore.”
- As of 2023, Kushagra has appeared in 11 T20 matches, scoring 140 runs at a strike rate of 117.64.
- He was compared to Indian cricketer MS Dhoni, who is known for his outstanding contribution to Indian cricket.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn