With coach Jwala Singh's help, Vidarbha's Aman Mokhade comes of age

MUMBAI: When the 2025-26 domestic season began, Vidarbha's young opening batter Aman Mokhade was given a 'simple' task by his Mumbai-based coach and mentor Jwala Singh, who is also the childhood coach/mentor of India's star opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. "'You have to finish the season amongst the top 10 run-getters in the Ranji Trophy,' I told him," Jwala Singh told TOI on Tuesday.

Considering that Mokhade had scored just 107 runs in four matches at 13.37 in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, struggling to even make it to the Vidarbha XI, Jwala’s ‘task’ seemed to be a tall ask for the young gun.


However, so far, Mokhade has exceeded Jwala's expectations. For someone who has a modest record so far -he has scored 870 runs in 13 first-class matches at 39.54, 563 runs in 11 games in List A cricket, and 306 runs in 14 matches in T20 cricket- the Nagpur-based opener is enjoying a breakout season.

At this point, the right-hander, who seems to have finally come of age, is this edition's highest run-getter in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, having scored 331 runs in three matches at 110.33, and a strike rate of 109.60, with two hundreds. He scored 110 off 99 balls against a Bengal attack which had Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, and Shahbaz Ahmed, who have all played for India. On Monday, Mokhade slammed 139 off 125 balls against Jammu & Kashmir. In sizzling form, Mokhade has managed to outscore even India's 'keeper-bat Dhruv Jurel (307 runs in three matches), who has been in superb touch.

In the first leg of the Ranji Trophy, the 24-year-old has scored 577 runs in five matches at 96.16, with three hundreds and a fifty and a highest score of 183, and is perched amongst the top six run-getters in the red-ball tournament.

In the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, Mokhade made 206 runs in six matches at 34.33, with three fifties, and was the top run-getter for Vidarbha along with Dhruv Shorey.

Talking about Jwala Singh helped him hone his game, Mokhade said, "He helped me a lot in arranging practice sessions, like open nets scenarios. And playing on different surfaces, like on plastic cover, wet cement pitches. He also helped me with mental preparation."

Recalling how he came in contact with Jwala around three years back, the Vidarbha batter said, "Since he was coaching Jaiswal and Prithvi Shaw, I knew Jwala sir for a long time. A friend of mine praised him a lot and showed me his videos too. I liked his coaching style, and hence went to him to develop my game," Mokhade said.

"Like Yashasvi, Aman too is a left-handed opener! I was initially reluctant to coach him, but Vidarbha batsman Apoorv Wankhede, who trains under me, convinced me. The boy has serious talent," Jwala said.

"I want to play for India and I also want an opportunity to play in the IPL," Mokhade said.