Tushar Deshpande spoke about his desire to play international red-ball cricket after being adjudged as player of the match in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy opener against Chandigarh
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Rajasthan Royals’ Tushar Deshpande celebrates after dismissing Lucknow Super Giants’ Ayush Badoni during the Indian Premier League match between Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday, April 19, 2025(IANS/Biplab Banerjee)
Mumbai’s right-arm pacer Tushar Deshpande feels he is ready to make his national team Test debut and believes that once he plays international cricket, he will be able to figure out the areas he needs to work and improve on.
Tushar Deshpande is currently on duty with Mumbai in the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season which kicked off earlier this week across the countryIt did not take him much longer to make an impact as he scalped a sensational hat-trick in his side’s massive win against Chandigarh at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday.
Read more:
Ranji Trophy 2026: Tushar Deshpande’s hat-trick gives big boost to Mumbai over Chandigarh on Day 2
The hat-trick was on route to a fifer in the second innings and he went to take two more wickets in the third inningsWith the bat, too, Deshpande contributed 44 important runs as Mumbai routed Chandigarh by an innings and 155 runs.
After the match, Tushar spoke about a number of topics, including his desire to represent the Indian national teamWhen asked about what qualities he will need to work on should he gets an India call-up, the 31-year-old stated that there is no need to work harder on anything.
It might sound a bit misleading but Tushar Deshpande believes that he is ready and that unless he gets the taste of international red-ball cricket, he would not be able to understand what areas he needs to work on.
Deshpande further stated that he will execute whatever he knows once he gets the chance.
“No, I feel I am readyNo need to work harderWhatever I am doing on the games, I will keep doing the same thingIt is not about working harder or adding something more to my gameOnce I play international cricket, (only) then will I realise what I can improveBut I have not played Test cricket yetI would not know thatSo, it is about going there, executing whatever I know and what I have done well,” Tushar Deshpande told RevSportz.
Deshpande hoping to fuse swing and pace
Tushar Deshpande’s Mumbai captain Siddhesh Lad feels that the former has developed into a complete package as a fast bowler but the former Chennai Super Kings pacer feels there is still one thing he needs to improve.
The 31-year-old desires to fuse his pace with swing and be more effective for whichever team he plays forDeshpande improved this area by watching videos of former South Africa speedster Dale Steyn.
“With pace, if I can add a certain skill or I can be more skilful with the same pace, I will be a different bowlerSo, I watched a lot of Dale Steyn’s videos, like in his days, he used to swing at high paceSo, I just rectified my mistakes which I used to do before just to go for the speedBut I have added a few skills as well with it,” Deshpanded added.
When is Mumbai’s next Ranji Trophy match?
Mumbai’s next Ranji Trophy 2026-27 match will start from Sunday, October 18 onwards against Himachal Pradesh.
