Former India opener Vikram Rathore went to set shop in England but has ended up having an extra-ordinary season with the bat in the Yorkshire league.Rathore has cracked three centuries from four games for Broad Oak and it has pushed into the background his original purpose of setting up a factory in Morley, near Leeds.Rathore’s family owns a tool manufacturing company in India where it produces hammers, chisels etc and the Leeds venture is supposed to be an expansion of that business.“It was the main reason I came to England, not really to play cricket,” said Rathore from England.“We were just in the process of opening the proxima steel forge in Morley when I was contacted for Broad Oak.“I’ve signed on for the full season and I’m enjoying it so far.”“The wickets at Broad Oak are good, there are some very good people at the club, and it’s certainly fun having to bowl, something I have not done before.“Everyone back home is laughing already when they found out I have actually taken some wickets.”Although this is the first time Rathore is playing league cricket in England, he has toured this country before when he came with the Indian team in 1996.He failed in the Tests, scoring only 20 from four Test innings but scored 759 runs on the tour at 58.38, including an excellent 165 against Worcestershire.His one-day form in the seven games was encouraging as he made 193 runs at an average of 27.57.He followed the tour of England with one disappointing Test against Australia and two in South Africa.Rathore who played most of his cricket for Punjab as a wicketkeeper-batsman turned out for Himachal Pradesh last season.In all, he has scored 11,500 first-class runs with the highest of 254 with 33 centuries and 49 half centuries at an average of 49.66.Besides Rathore, two other Indian players, Wasim Jaffer and Atul Bedade, are also playing in Yorkshire league.
