Jiwanjot Singh began the domestic season with a bang. And ended it with a whimper.The Patiala lad,who scored a record 995 runs in his debut season in the Ranji games,surprisingly failed to play even a single game in the 50-50 overs Vijay Hazare or 20-20 Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament. Punjab,who lost in the Ranji semis,made it to the finals of the 20-20 format.While all his Punjab team mates are gearing up for the Indian Premier League (IPL) and practicing hard for their respective franchisees,Jiwanjot is in his hometown and continuing with his cricket sessions at the NICS Academy. Jiwanjot was a revelation for Punjab. He along with other Punjab opener Karan Goel set the tone for their team in the Ranji Trophy. After the mass exodus to ICL,Punjab always struggled to find a good opener in the set up who could change the complexion of the matches with huge innings. When Jiwanjot made his Ranji debut,nothing great had been spoken about him. He was a surprise. Having got the Ranji break after doing well in the U-19 and U-22 tournaments for Punjab,Jiwanjot fitted well in the role of a perfect opener for Punjab,and anchored Punjab to stupendous victories. For someone who likes to play with the straight bat,going for towering shots has never been the priority. Instead,Jiwanjot crafted all his innings in a copybook style and had a big impact. On the PCA Stadium wicket,playing in the winter conditions when all batsmen struggled,Jiwanjot carved out amazing cricket shots and came out as a winner.It was surprising that he was overlooked for the entire Vijay Hazare Trophy. It is understandable when he missed few matches in the North Zone leg as he was selected in the Board President XI team in a practice match against the visiting Australia team at the same time. But when he was available,he was ignored even then also. Meanwhile,Ravi Inder Singh and Chandan Madaan opened for Punjab in the Vijay Hazare. Speaking with Sportline,Jiwanjot talked his heart out after being ignored for both the ODI and T20 domestic tournaments. He said,It is a bit disappointing to have missed so much of cricket in the end of the season. I was anticipating my chances. But I guess now that the season has ended,it is time to look forward and leave behind what happened and what did not happen. I enjoyed so much playing for Punjab in the Ranji season,it would have been great if we won the title. I was quite keen on playing in the Vijay Hazare as well as Syed Mushtaq Ali tournaments,but sadly it did not go like that. I have learnt a lot from the season. Jiwanjit scored 995 runs in ten Ranji matches at an average of 63.68 with the strike rate of 48.87. It was but natural for the IPL franchisees to notice Jiwanjots exploits in the Ranji season. He was contacted by few of them also. But because he did not play any cricket for Punjab after the Ranji season (Except for that Board President XI match),Jiwanjot failed to land a contract. His coach and former Punjab Ranji cricketer Mahesh Inder Singh still feels nothing much has been lost and Jiwanjot needs to keep working hard and target next season with bigger hopes. He said,I am sure the PCA selection panel must have thought in a different way and must have had some logic by not including him in the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq tournaments. I think Jiwanjot should not complain much having missed out on T20 chances. I feel his exploits in the Ranji Trophy will bear fruits when the selectors look for young talent for Test cricket. He should start from a scratch in the next season with a positive mindset. There is so much still to be won.Right after the IPL ends,India A team will travel to South Africa. Pinning hopes on the selection for the tour,Jiwanjot said,I am practicing hard. If I get a chance to play in South Africa I think that will be the ultimate test for me.
