Ranchi, March 19: With stupendous performances in their heydays, cricket icons like Sunil Gavaskar, Bishen Singh Bedi and Gundappa Viswanath inspired a generation of youngsters.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni`s rise seems to have had a similar impact on budding cricketers in Jharkhand.
Ishank Jaggi, Rahul Shukla, Varun Aaron and Sourabh Tiwari have all found places in different Indian Premier League franchises.
“No doubt, Dhoni`s emergence has driven the kids from Jharkhand to excel in cricket. His towering presence and consistent performance has instilled confidence in budding cricketers which is reflected in four players finding places in the IPL teams,” observed former Bihar Ranji captain Adil Hussain.
“During our days, players from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh hardly found any place in national teams. The yardstick for selection was their performance in Ranji Trophy and these players hardly got any chance to showcase their talent,” argued Hussain.
—-PTI