New Delhi: Senior Kerala player Sachin Baby has reacted of being ignored by the selectors for the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2024. The left-handed batter was the second most run-getter in the Ranji Trophy 2024 season with 830 runs from 12 innings at an average of 83 with the help of four centuries and as many fifties.
Baby was part of South Zone, the 2023 Duleep Trophy champions, in the final match against West Zone. His outing yielded diminishing returns of 7 and 28. He didn’t find a place in the revamped Duleep Trophy season this year, featuring India A, India B, India C, and India D.
However, the 35-year-old considered his snub as a blessing in disguise after leading Aries Kollam Sailors to the inaugural Kerala Cricket League (KCL) title triumph. With 528 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 160.49, Baby finished as the six-team tournament’s leading run-scorer. He smashed an unbeaten 105 in the final against Calicut Globstars, his second century of the KCL.
“I played in the Duleep Trophy last year. The KCL is a tournament I wanted to be a part of. I was made the captain of the Kollam team with many expectations and did not want to leave the team mid-way for anything else. So, I had no complaints when I was not picked for any of the four Duleep Trophy teams despite scoring heavily in the Ranji Trophy,” Baby told IndianExpress.com.
How Sachin Baby took lessons from veteran tennis player Rohan Bopanna?
Sachin Baby has played 90 First-Class, 102 List A and 98 T20 matches ever since breaking into the Indian domestic cricket system in 2009. He is now one of the senior players in Kerala who has also played 19 IPL matches for Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Although is playing at 35, the Kerala batter takes a cue from Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna who won the Australian Open men’s doubles title at the age of 43 to become the oldest Grand Slam champion earlier this year.
“I remember an interaction with tennis legend Rohan Boppanna some time ago. He said that though he was 42, he considered that he was ‘level 42’ in tennis. Like that, I believe I’m ‘level 35’ in cricket. I’m only going to level up even if I get older. I want to prove that age is just a number, just like Bopanna,” Baby said.
Kerala player Sachin Baby didn’t find a place in the revamped Duleep Trophy season this year, featuring India A, India B, India C, and India D. He was the the second most run-getter in the Ranji Trophy 2024 season with 830 runs from 12 innings at an average of 83 with the help of four centuries and as many fifties. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
