With lessons from Dhoni and Kaif, Ajay Mandal eyes Ranji Trophy success with Chhattisgarh

Ajay Mandal is Chhattisgarh’s highest wicket-taker in First-Class cricket with 137 scalps. | Photo Credit: K. V. S. Giri

Ajay Mandal has been part of the Indian domestic cricket ecosystem for more than a decade now, playing for Chhattisgarh. In fact, he’s the state’s highest wicket-taker in First-Class cricket with 137 scalps.

Last week, during the Ranji Trophy match against Punjab, he briefly became a trending keyword after bowling India’s Test captain Shubman Gill through the gate.

“I didn’t realise it while bowling. But later that evening and the next day, it went viral and was hyped a lot,” Mandal told Sportstar on Monday after the opening day’s play against Andhra here.

“It felt quite nice because you work hard in the off-season, and when the results come, it is satisfying. Taking the wicket of such a big international player, a top-level Test cricketer, feels really nice,” the left-arm spinner added.

Mandal has also been a consistent performer for Chhattisgarh in the limited-overs formats, with 52 T20s and 37 List A games to his name. He has taken 52 wickets in the T20s and 42 in the 50-over format.

His performances over the years earned him IPL contracts with Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals. Mandal was with CSK in 2023 and 2024 and has been part of the DC squad since the 2025 season. However, he has yet to make his IPL debut.

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Mandal describes his four years in the IPL as an amazing experience, having shared dressing rooms with the likes of MS Dhoni and KL Rahul. He recalled a crucial tip from Dhoni that improved his batting.

“He advised me to switch to a bottom-hand grip. I used to play with a long handle before that, and the change genuinely improved my batting, especially in white-ball cricket. Spending time with such players really helps you grow as a cricketer,” Mandal said.

Another cricketer whose advice played a significant role in his career was Mohammad Kaif.

Kaif joined Chhattisgarh in 2016 for a two-season stint, around the time when Mandal was breaking into the senior side, primarily as a batter.

“I started bowling around 2015-16. Mohammad Kaif, our captain initially, asked me to take bowling seriously. I was a proper batter before that. I used to bat at No. 4 or 5 during my age-group days with Chhattisgarh, but he pushed me to pursue bowling,” recalled Mandal, the first bowler from Chhattisgarh to take 100 FC wickets.

Mandal hails from Rajnandgaon district in Chhattisgarh. He began playing with a tennis ball before pursuing cricket professionally in class eight.

“When I started playing cricket in 2008 or 2009, there wasn’t much infrastructure, such as indoor nets or astroturf facilities. During the rains, you would lose two to three months of training. When Chhattisgarh got affiliation in the Ranji Trophy in 2016, the infrastructure also came up,” Mandal said.

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Watching senior state players compete in the prestigious red-ball tournament inspired Mandal to pursue the sport and represent Chhattisgarh in the Ranji Trophy.

“Coming from where I did, I always felt that I needed to do something for my district. I was always a hero in my district. My age-group cricket went really well, and I started playing with the senior group in my district when I was 16,” Mandal said.

“After moving from district cricket to the state team, I kept thinking about how to take the team forward and keep Chhattisgarh in the Elite Group of the Ranji Trophy, so that our name would also feature alongside the likes of Bombay, Delhi and Karnataka. That kept me working hard,” the 30-year-old added.

Aware of the uncertainty that comes with pursuing a sporting career, Mandal also made sure to have education as a backup plan.

“Education has always been a priority in our home. Although I couldn’t give it much time, I got decent enough marks in Classes 10th and 12th. I also completed my B.Com because graduation is important. If cricket didn’t work out, I needed to have a backup and get a government job or something,” Mandal said.

With the support of his family and coaches, Mandal has since established himself in domestic cricket. But he knows that the competition continues to grow, and is determined to keep improving.

“The competition has increased a lot. When there is so much competition around you, you need to sharpen your skills to a level where you can challenge others,” he said, adding, “When we play big teams like Mumbai, Karnataka or Tamil Nadu, you need to challenge them and have the skill set to match them.”

For Mandal, the goal is to keep raising the bar. “You need to keep working hard and try to go from being your state’s highest wicket-taker to becoming India’s highest wicket-taker,” he said.