by Abhai Sawkar From December to early March, the Ranji Trophy has been a pulsating first-class tournament. With a total of 38 teams across four groups, we’ve witnessed breathtaking performances from a wide array of players, from the most experienced to some of the brightest youthful talents in India. Some have built on previous successes for their respective teams, some are looking to become mainstays, and others have enjoyed a fruitful change in fortunes. The upsizing of the competition has provided crucial opportunities for local cricketers, and others have transferred to the newer teams and made themselves comfortable. In the 2019-20 season, Arunachal Pradesh’s new recruit, wicketkeeper and middle-order batsman Rahul Dalal finished as the top run-scorer in the tournament, striking an unbelievably impressive 1340 runs, averaging 95.71, with a highest score of an unbeaten 267 against Nagaland. Originally from Faridabad, Haryana, wicketkeeper-batsman Dalal opted to relocate to Arunachal Pradesh prior to the beginning of this season. Having played just one first-class game for Haryana in the 2018-19 season, the fact that he wasn’t close to being a certain starter in the side forced him to reconsider his options. It was never an easy decision to leave the place that was near and dear to him, since that’s where he’s grown up and played the majority of his cricket. However, it was time to reach a decision, and the quest for more game time was thankfully fulfilled. “It's always a tough decision to leave your home state where you’ve played cricket from childhood, but as a professional cricketer you want to play and give yourself any opportunity that comes your way to showcase your talent. I had to weigh my options and it seemed fair to shift as I was not sure if I'd get an opportunity to play first-class cricket for Haryana again, as I had played just 1 game last year and didn't play any in the previous 2 years. So in order to keep my cricketing career alive I had to switch.” There might’ve been early hesitation from the 28-year-old, and naturally so; he’s played at every age level at his home state. He had moments to savor, but he wasn’t always so lucky even when he was selected to play for higher-level teams. After successfully proving himself well through the age-group system, Dalal debuted in first-class cricket in late 2012, against Odisha. Initially, it was a very promising start for the youngster, but following an administrative shakeup, the situation began to drastically change. From a frequent starter, he soon ended up on the fringes with meager opportunities, and injuries stagnated his progress. At the same time, the sequence of unfortunate events have only made him stronger and enhanced his passion for the game. “Well, I first played for Haryana In 2006 for the U15 team, after a good district season where my team Faridabad was the champion, I got selected, but didn't get a game though. After that I was selected in the U19 team in 2010-11 where I scored around 430 runs in 4 matches with two centuries, I was selected for the North Zone team, but didn't get a match again. Next year was a tough learning year where I managed just one half-century in 5 matches at U22 level, and in the 2012-13 season, I scored 2 hundreds and scored 370 runs in 3 matches to get my first Ranji call-up. I scored a 100 in my second match at our home ground. The coming 4 seasons I played under all different coaches, I was dropped, in and out of the side, and then I got injured in 2016-17. As a result, I wasn't selected for 2 seasons. I made a comeback in the 2018-19 season, which I had promised to myself, but just got 1 game. One thing I learned was to just enjoy and love your cricket without worrying about anything else. And you have to stand for yourself - only your self-belief will help you in these tough times.” The shift from Haryana to Arunachal Pradesh meant that he’d be moving from Group C to the Plate Group, which has some of the newly added first-class teams in the Ranji Trophy. During the 2018-19 season, all 29 Indian states were given representation. There were eight state teams that were completely new to the scene, and one of them was Arunachal Pradesh. When Dalal arrived at his new team, it was time to adjust to the newness of a team with significantly less experience. At the moment they’re in the development phase since it’s only their second full season, and it will take time to solidify. But the main positive is everyone’s willingness to learn and take confident strides in maximizing potential. “It was very different because Arunachal Pradesh is just playing their second Ranji Trophy, and Elite teams play cricket year-round, but due to the geographical and weather conditions cricket is very limited in Arunachal Pradesh. The professionalism was lacking a bit, elite teams have their gym session, video analysis, long prep camps before the season, here these things will come gradually. There was no fitness culture, but as we moved into the season, everyone realised the importance of gym, rehabs prehabs, prep camps. They are eager to learn and adapt and they will only grow in the coming years.” Not only was Dalal a sure starter, but he also played a substantial role in the Ranji campaign. Every game he played, regardless of result, was a crucial confidence builder. Dalal emphasizes that the team comes first; while it was a breakthrough season from a personal standpoint, he’s happy to contribute as frequently as he can across formats. He’s the most experienced player in the mix, and he’s done phenomenally well to take up the extra responsibility and lay down the platform. “Playing first-class cricket is a motivation big enough. The relentless support and belief I had from my family, friends, and my coaches kept me going and kept me motivated throughout. Losing matches is never a good feeling, but the feeling when you go out to bat knowing that the whole team is looking up to you to guide them to a good position that is a huge driving force. It hurts when you lose a game, but then cricket is a team game, you can only go out there and give it your 100% and try to turn the game around in your team's favor.” While he’s achieved stratospheric levels of consistency this season, Dalal reflected on his recent few seasons with Haryana, which served as vital lessons to learn. Playing for an Elite team often keeps you on your toes, game after game, event after event. In addition, there is hardly any margin for error and nothing can be taken for granted. The constant demand for performances can be taxing at times, but it’s an integral part of helping develop mental fortitude. It may have been a rough Ranji outing for the team, but Dalal isn’t perturbed by the fact that he has more tasks on his plate. In fact, that’s been instrumental in his maturity as a first-class cricketer and enabled him to play positive, earnest cricket. He scored two double tons, one against Mizoram and another against Nagaland, and another two centuries. Plus he’s been striking at 76, which is impressively quick for the longer format. “The experience was amazing, your mind grows as you are in a different and difficult situation every day when you walk in to bat and it's on you to take the team forward. There's a lot of personal growth. But what helped me was that in the Elite league, the pressure to perform is huge, you are always at the edge every game fighting for a spot in the 11. Well here I had that assurance and there was a responsibility on me to take the team forward, which I enjoyed a lot and I guess it brought the best out of me.” Dalal has had a deeply ingrained passion for cricket since childhood, and his two favorite cricketers growing up are very influential figures. It was a routine to anxiously watch Test cricket, and his fondest memory is Rahul Dravid’s game-changing knocks in the iconic India-Australia 2nd Test match at Adelaide Oval in 2003. While known to score quickly, Dalal’s versatility isn’t to be underestimated - on several occasions this season he’s had to patiently bat through much of the innings when coming in at No. 5. Like Dravid, the persevering attitude and resolute demeanor are two key qualities that Dalal possesses. “I enjoyed watching Rahul Dravid bat as well as Adam Gilchrist’s batting and wicketkeeping too. I remember coming back from school and joining my sister who was already watching the Adelaide Test and seeing Rahul Dravid square drive Stuart MacGill to win the test match, that was the best feeling. It's a memory etched deep in my heart. I wanted to be like him, standing tall like a wall and not allowing the opposition past me and batting for long periods of time.” Now that he’s re-announced himself in the first-class scene in unmistakable and decisive fashion, Dalal has expressed his interest to take part in the IPL. He would love to play under the leadership of the Indian national captain and legendary batsman, Virat Kohli, and further enhance his game as a middle-order finisher. Notwithstanding the fact that the Royal Challengers Bangalore haven’t yet won an IPL - prior experiences, a chance to pitch in, advance a new IPL campaign, and the atmosphere in the Garden City are the prime motivating factors. “It has to be RCB, they have Virat and AB, two world-class batsmen, and I'll get to learn a lot from them and they need someone to support them and take some pressure off them. That’s the role that I can play, and I love the way the Bengaluru crowd supports them. They have yet to win the trophy so I'd like to contribute and help them win it. The ground is amazing and the wicket is suited to my type of batting as well.” Back to the first-class side of things, the plans for next season are nice and simple: scoring more runs and making more headway for the team. While adjustment to pressure has always been something to pay close attention to, Dalal is now taking a calmer approach. Context matters, and making the best possible impact is his top priority at this point in time. “For next year I'd like to win a few more matches for my team, I believe expecting anything just puts extra pressure on you, so I like to stay in the moment and enjoy myself on the cricket field. Thinking about and trying to do what I did this year would be hard on me. So I'd like to just try and score as many runs as I can and help my team win games, and in that course if i can get to milestones then I'll be more than happy.” A memorable new beginning has more than reinitiated Dalal’s career, and he’s risen to the occasion as the most prolific scorer this season in the Plate Group. With strong ambition and determination, he’s undoubtedly a great source of inspiration for the Arunachal Pradesh team. Yes, the learning curve is steep, but despite a difficult Ranji Trophy, there has been incremental progress.
2 Comments
Brahmshakti
4/18/2020 11:18:37 pm
Great batsman Rahul congratulations I want to see him in India cricket team .
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Muhammad Asif
5/21/2020 09:52:33 am
Very Good information
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