At the Laxmi Ratan Shukla household,they have decided to avoid any talk about the Bengal-Services game at Palam. All except Shuklas four-year-old son Agastha,who doesnt understand the significance,or the pressure,of playing the 100th Ranji Trophy game. Ive told my wife and father not to talk about my 100th till the match is over. They arent here with me in Delhi because of that. But my son did talk to me about the game. He advised me to hit the ball harder so that it goes into orbit and nobody catches it, says the man who has played 99 Ranji matches so far. Shukla,who started his career in 1997-98,says that even he isnt too keen to talk about the milestone as it makes him feel old. Im just 32 and will play for at least five more years, he says. Considering his recent form,the hope to keep going might not be wishful thinking after all. Only in the last match he scored a magnificent century (155) against Saurashtra on an Eden Gardens green-top that many believed to be the best knock of the game. A real captains knock it was as it helped Bengal bag three points. There have been several such match-winning efforts through his career but Shukla remains an underachiever. A total of 5,353 runs in 119 first-class matches (99 for Bengal) with seven centuries and an average of 35.92 doesnt fully justify his batting talent. Also,he would have been happier to add a few more to his tally of 148 wickets at 35.16. Theres no question that he has always played his heart out,but at times the impulsiveness of the emotional cricketer came in way of him making calculative moves on the field. For me the greatest honour is to represent Bengal and Im proud that Ive been playing for my state for 16-17 years now. Yes,I would have loved to play for India for long. I think I deserved at least one more chance after those two ODIs I played when I was a teenager. Shukla thanks his wife to keep him motivated during the long journey. Playing for my home state is the biggest motivation. I still get goose bumps before every game. This is a reason why Im not really concerned about my 100th. All I need is a good show from my team. Ive told my team mates that the biggest gift that they can present to me is an outright win. Services are a good team. Theyre last seasons semi-finalists and will be playing in home conditions. Celebrations can wait. The Bengal dressing room was fragmented when he took charge towards the end of the last season but his leadership united the squad. Dont think Ive done anything extra as a captain. I dont believe in bullying others. Ive never criticised my team mates in public. I try to keep everyone in good humour. Ive learnt this from Sourav Ganguly.
