It’s pay back time for Laxmi Ratan Shukla
16 Jan 2014 5:44 AM IST
But the all-rounder never earned back the faith of national selectors after being dumped when he was just 19.
‘I believe we still have two matches left and with so much to achieve, I can’t let thoughts of ‘why’ cloud my mind. I have a young team and I want to win the Ranji Trophy. I don’t want to get bogged down by thinking about whether I deserved a call-up in all these years,’ Shukla said ahead of Bengal’s semifinal tie against Maharashtra starting January 18 in Indore.
This season Shukla has evolved both as performer and leader of a team that’s not used to consistent success at the national level. ‘I have played back-to-back Ranji Trophy finals and this is just a semifinal. So comparison with previous seasons isn’t a good thing at this juncture. Yes, what I can say is I have never played in such variety of pitches in a single domestic season.
But is winning the Ranji Trophy a big enough motivation if there isn’t an incentive of national call-up? ‘Of course it is. Bengal cricket has given me everything. It’s pay back time for me. The Bengal jersey is one thing that will remain with me till the last day of my life,’ the all-rounder concluded.
‘I believe we still have two matches left and with so much to achieve, I can’t let thoughts of ‘why’ cloud my mind. I have a young team and I want to win the Ranji Trophy. I don’t want to get bogged down by thinking about whether I deserved a call-up in all these years,’ Shukla said ahead of Bengal’s semifinal tie against Maharashtra starting January 18 in Indore.
This season Shukla has evolved both as performer and leader of a team that’s not used to consistent success at the national level. ‘I have played back-to-back Ranji Trophy finals and this is just a semifinal. So comparison with previous seasons isn’t a good thing at this juncture. Yes, what I can say is I have never played in such variety of pitches in a single domestic season.
But is winning the Ranji Trophy a big enough motivation if there isn’t an incentive of national call-up? ‘Of course it is. Bengal cricket has given me everything. It’s pay back time for me. The Bengal jersey is one thing that will remain with me till the last day of my life,’ the all-rounder concluded.
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