JD-U's Neeraj Kumar mocks Tejashwi over 'repeated failures' in his brief stint in cricket

Patna, Dec 3 (IANS) JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar ridiculed RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday over repeated failures in his brief stint in domestic cricket.

The JD(U) leader highlighted Tejashwi Yadav's "limited" performance in domestic cricket, citing his stats - 37 runs and one wicket in seven matches for Jharkhand.

"Tejashwi Yadav has played seven matches representing Jharkhand, scored 37 runs and taken just one wicket. This is the cricketing career of Tejashwi Yadav and he is taking credit for Virat Kohli, an international player who played under his captaincy," Kumar said.

Before making a foray into politics, Tejashwi had a cricket career. While he didn't achieve significant milestones at the professional level, his role as a player in the Jharkhand team and captaincy of junior teams, including Virat Kohli's, is documented.

The JD(U) leader also targeted the previous Lalu government, saying "Tejashwi Yadav chose to represent Jharkhand in cricket rather than Bihar. as opportunities for sports and jobs were scarce during Lalu's administration, forcing migration."

He also cited Tejashwi's cricket statistics, pointing out "repeated failures", including multiple zero scores in T20 matches and modest contributions in Ranji and one-day matches.

The leader claimed Tejashwi played a T20 match representing Jharkhand against Tripura in Dhanbad on October 20, 2009, and scored zero on the first ball.

The second match was played against West Bengal on October 22, 2009, in Dhanbad and he again scored a duck. In the third T20 match, he played against Assam on October 23, 2009, and again scored zero in Dhanbad, he said.

Tejashwi opened his account in the fourth match against Odisha in Dhanbad and scored three runs. He also gave 36 runs without taking a single wicket in that T20 match played at Dhanbad on October 24, 2009.

In a Ranji Trophy match against Vidarbha on November 10, 2009, he scored a single run in the first innings and 19 runs in the second inning. In the one-day match against Odisha, Tejashwi scored nine runs. That match was played on February 14, 2010 at Cuttack. He also played another one-day match against Tripura and scored five runs. That match was played on February 16, 2010, at Cuttack, he said.

"Tejashwi Yadav should take credit for how miserable he had been in his cricket career. He was neither good at cricket nor in study, then how could he pass in politics," Kumar asked.

--IANS