Published: Feb 08, 2016, 11:36 AM (IST)
Edited: Feb 08, 2016, 02:44 PM (IST)
When many raw talents found their place in one of the eight franchise of Indian cricket’s launch pad Indian Premier League (IPL) during the auction for the ninth season, a neglected Krishna Das revealed his disappointment. Das, one of the key players for the Assam team in the domestic circuit, is in the peak of his form. The bowler, who has bagged as many as 47 wickets playing nine matches, was quite naturally expecting a call to display his talent in a platform where greats from the entire world meet. While Nathu Singh, another of the unexposed bowlers, successfully grabbed a contract of 3.2 crore, Das remained unsold. Full Cricket Score, Assam vs Punjab, Ranji Trophy 2015-16, Quarter-final, Day 4 at Valsad; Assam win by 51 runs
Talking to The Indian Express, the Assam bowler said, “Any youngster graduating from the Ranji level would want to play for India, and IPL is the perfect platform to showcase your talent. Currently, I am at the top of my form and fitness. Hence, being overlooked for an event like the IPL is slightly frustrating.”
Though Das has undoubtedly pulled off a great job, many believe that the green top pitches acted positive to enhance his performance. To his defense, he said, “The conditions on offer were there for other bowlers as well. I just managed to exploit them the best, which is why I got so many wickets.”
Apart from Nathu, two other domestic bowlers who bagged alluring contracts are Ankit Rajpoot and Jaydev Unadkar. While Nathu Singh’s was expected, the inclusion of the other two came as a bit of surprise. Rajput was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for Rs 1.5 crore starting from a base price of Rs 10 lakh while Unadkar’s price went upto Rs 1.6 crore from his base price 30 lakh and was bought by the same franchise.
Sanath Kumar, the Assam coach, revealed, “He was banking heavily on the IPL auction. The whole thing has left him dejected. It seems like he has gone into a shell. What’s the point of performing so consistently at the domestic level, when you are repeatedly ignored at the national level?”
Assam recently defeated the heavy-weight Punjab side to qualify for the semi-final of the Ranji Trophy for the very first time.
