Kushagra opens up on his road to recovery

For Kumar Kushagra, who hadn’t practised for a month due to a back niggle, the ongoing Buchi Babu tournament here has been beneficial going into the Duleep Trophy.

He scored a fifty (56) and a century (103) in the first two rounds.

“Last month, I had a bit of a back issue. For one month, I wasn’t training (batting and keeping) at all. Now, I’m totally fit. Going into the Duleep Trophy, it (Buchi Babu) is good for me and for all the Jharkhand players here. The facilities, grounds, and environment are good,” he said at the Guru Nanak College ground here on Saturday.

The 20-year-old missed the Emerging Asia Cup last October and some Ranji matches after he’d sustained a back injury in the Duleep Trophy in September.

Talking about the work he’s put into his fitness for the new domestic season, he said: “Before this tournament, I was at the NCA for a few days and gave my Yo-Yo test.

“But before that, when I was at home, I was just working with my dad. I was going early at 4.30 or 5 in the morning and working on my fitness, keeping, and batting. I think that’s really helping me at the moment.”

During his stint with the Gujarat Titans last IPL season, Kushagra has worked on his keeping with inputs from Jos Buttler, Matthew Wade, and Parthiv Patel. “I was not much comfortable keeping to fast bowlers when the ball was wobbling too much. So, they just helped me with how I can tackle that in windy conditions, especially in England and all,” he said.

Kushagra, having already played for India-A, is among the targeted pool of players who could go on to play for India in the future. “Whenever you are in the eyes of the selectors, it definitely helps,” he said.