For former union minister Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son Tejaswi, turning out for Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy was an easy decision to make. Since his native state Bihar has no representation under the BCCI, Jharkhand was the most obvious and next best choice. Plus the continued ignorance from the Delhi selectors was the added incentive that also made his look in Jharkhand’s direction.

Having lead Delhi in the U-15 and U-22 categories to memorable wins — backed with consistent individual performances — Yadav has been named in Jharkhand’s 30-member probables list.

Talking to Sportline from Jamshedpur, where he is currently undergoing a conditioning camp for the forthcoming Ranji season, the 20-year-old said that playing for Jharkhand was the logical thing to do after not getting his chance with Delhi. “I wanted to play for my state but as Bihar has no team, Jharkhand was the next best option,” he said. “Despite being named in the probables’ list I was never shortlisted for the senior team. This also played a role in my decision. In fact, I could have left two years back but I had to finish my schooling, so I stayed,” he added.

Yadav added that he had offers from other states as well. “I was approached by Bengal, Tripura and Himachal Pradesh, but I chose Jharkhand. What’s better than to represent your birth place.”

Yadav has applied for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the DDCA, which he intends to collect personally, when he is back in the Capital — after August 31 — when the conditioning camp gets over. “I have already forwarded my application to the association. I’ll collect the NOC when I’m back in Delhi.” Next up for the promising all-rounder are the trial matches which gets underway from August 31, and only good performances will merit an automatic selection for the senior team.