by Abhai Sawkar Every late March, cricket fans from around the world get excited for the IPL: the electric atmosphere, nail-biting games, and the razzle-dazzle are always captivating. In normal conditions, it would’ve been around two weeks since the IPL ended. But now’s a great time to reflect on the event that’s had 12 editions and produced an assembly line of quality cricketers. Some have been fortunate enough to quickly ascend, while others didn’t exactly find it as straightforward but still have made a prominent name for themselves at domestic level. Biplab Samantray, the tenacious 31-year-old allrounder from Odisha, had a relatively brief time in the IPL limelight, but he’s been a fantastic find for his state team. It may not have been easy to get game time in the world’s most lucrative T20 league, but the experience and motivation he brings to the table are priceless. Now most of us remember Samantray from his stints with the Deccan Chargers and the Sunrisers Hyderabad from 2012 to 2015. His time in the IPL has made him learn a lot about himself as well as get pro tips and advice from some of the best in the business. Despite playing just 9 games in total, he’s grateful for everything, and his prized memory is scoring a crucial, match-winning 55 in a low-scoring encounter against the Rajasthan Royals in 2013. In addition, he also had the privilege of taking part in the now-defunct Champions League T20 cup for the Sunrisers, too. “The IPL experience is something I can't express in words,” said Samantray. “It was like a dream come true for me. I shared a dressing room with some of the best players I’ve seen over the years: Sanga, Dale Steyn, Shikhar Dhawan to name a few. Those were the best days of my life and the best thing I gained there is self confidence and the drive to perform when given a chance. First I was a bit unsure whether I'll be able to cope up there or but after that half century against Rajasthan, I got that confidence.” It’s been more than 7 years since he’s last made an appearance in the IPL, but Samantray is eagerly working toward more opportunities. Looking back at his prior experiences, he’s aiming to re-enter the scene with the Sunrisers. While he wasn’t a central feature for them, he’s ready to put together more and more telling contributions as and when he gets to play more games. At the same time, he looks up to former India skipper MS Dhoni as an inspiration, and given the successes of CSK, he’s hoping to get a contract with them if not the Sunrisers. “I’d love to play again for SRH. They are the team that showed confidence in me and I feel I owe them a lot. If not, then hopefully CSK. I’ve always been a huge fan of Dhoni.” Let’s fast-forward to the most recent domestic season. Samantray is now a seasoned campaigner for Odisha and has seen through lots of highs and lows. The 2019-20 season was reasonably successful given his team’s returns in the Ranji Trophy. Odisha made it to the quarterfinals but that was where their tournament ended - Bengal took a crucial first-innings lead and progressed to the semis, and even though the game was drawn. “This season was special in so many ways - we played some wonderful cricket as a team and went to the playoffs. Bowling and fielding were excellent but I think we came up short a bit in batting, especially in building partnerships at crucial situations.” Much has changed since Samantray’s early days: he started off under the leadership of erstwhile Test opener Shiv Sunder Das, captained Odisha for a couple of years, and now, Subhranshu Senapati, a precociously talented 23-year-old batsman, has taken charge of the side. Samantray is very confident that the upward trend will continue, since several young players have stepped up to the plate well. “Lots of quality youngsters are chipping in and it's a fantastic sign. I definitely can feel that Odisha cricket's future is in very safe hands. Players like Shantanu Mishra, Debashis Samantray, Sandeep Pattanayak, Pappu Ray, Rajesh Mohanty, and so on. And the captain of the ship Subhranshu Senapati. They all are wonderful talents and great guys, they just need to perform more consistently.” Reflecting on the quarterfinal, Samantray is grateful for his side to have made it this far, and appreciates the spirited team effort. Odisha’s second-wicket stand laid a solid platform early in the first innings, even though a middle-order capitulation would severely thwart their chances of winning. On a more fortunate note, the bowlers were among the wickets throughout the tournament. “Yes, that game didn't go as planned but still there were quite a few positives we can take out of it. Bowlers bowled really well, especially Suryakant and Basant. Debashis and Shantanu's partnership was really good. Last season no team has scored more than 200 in an innings except us.” Looking back at his impressive exploits over the course of his domestic career, Samantray has multiple performances to savor, with both bat and ball. His versatility and multifaceted approach has made him a dependable asset to the Odisha side. Samantray’s maiden 50-over century propelled Odisha to a Vijay Hazare Trophy semifinal for the very first time, and some canny death bowling helped secure a clutch 1-run victory against Goa. A T20 ton against Maharashtra in early 2016 put him in the Odisha record books as the first player from his state to have centuries in all formats of Indian domestic cricket. To this day, these are the achievements he cherishes the most. “There were a lot of special moments. I remember one Ranji against Karnataka at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. We beat Karnataka for the first time at their home ground and I was the Man of the Match. I scored 104 runs and took 4 wickets in both innings - it was a memorable match for me. During the 2014-15 season, I scored 100 and took 2 wickets in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final against Goa. Finally, I defended 8 runs in the last over to take Odisha home and got the Man of the Match award there too. And for the first time in history, Odisha qualified for the semis in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. I think in the 2015-16 season, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy against Maharashtra at home, we scored 194. I scored 102, and that was the first century in Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy by a player from Odisha. I held the record for the only Odisha batsman to score centuries across all the three formats. Even though we lost that match, it was a special innings for me.” As he’s gained more experience, Samantray has improved his adaptability to the situation. Batting is his more proficient skill, but his medium pace can be more than handy from time to time. Not known to make frequent inroads, Samantray operates well as a containing bowler, boasting strong economy rates below 5 in 50-over cricket and below 7 in T20 cricket. All in all, this makes him the complete all-rounder. “Earlier I used to play more aggressively. I used to go for it and play shots early in the innings but seeing the situation, I try to change my game sometimes. When it comes to bowling, I'm a run checker. I don’t take wickets very often. I always try to maintain the pressure on the batters by not giving them easy runs as well as give some time for my strike bowlers to recover.” The off-season period is the perfect time to fine-tune fitness, but with the COVID-19 situation having thrown a few wrenches in the works, it’s forced Samantray to be more resourceful. However, this has only made sure he strictly follows his disciplined regimen to the best of his ability. The yearn to be back on the field might continue, but training at home and taking things day by day is now the top priority. “As we know, right now all the outdoor activities have been stopped - clubs, gyms, pools, pretty much everything. So when it comes to practice there's no option rather than some knocks on the terrace. Shadow practice in front of the mirror also helps a lot. Because the gyms are closed, I'm following some online training sessions as well as my own daily workout routine. I've got some gym equipment at home though. I like to maintain a controlled diet program which is the toughest part. But I intend to follow it strictly because once this lockdown is over, I aim to get back on the ground mentally and physically fitter.” Heading into the 2020-21, there’s plenty of momentum and an increased confidence level. At the same time, it’ll be stiffer competition when playing against some of the mainstays in the top level, and that has its unique set of challenges to conquer. Samantray’s plan is to keep the ball rolling and capitalize on the recent progress. There’s talent and potential galore in the Odisha team, and it’s time to further enhance the consistency. “The main goal is nice and simple: win the Ranji trophy. This time we were close but couldn't finish the job. We got to know our weaknesses and that’ll be something to work on.” Following a fruitful 2019-20 foray, Odisha has been promoted to Group B of the Ranji Trophy, which is in the joint upper tier. Years’ worth of hard work has been rewarding for Samantray and the team as a whole, and should they continue their positive approach, the best is possible. He’s resolutely testified that there’s an abundance of youthful talent in the side. And it’s never too late for Samantray - strong outings will put him back in the thick of things in the IPL.
1 Comment
Prakash Behera
6/13/2020 10:41:31 pm
Biplab Bhai one of the best player of Odisha. In Sayad Mustak Ali trophy he hit 5 six in a over.
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