Rathour here for keeps?

MOHALI, FEBRAURAY 7: It was during the Duleep Trophy match against South Zone in Vijayawada last month that skipper Vikram Rathour had to ...

MOHALI, FEBRAURAY 7: It was during the Duleep Trophy match against South Zone in Vijayawada last month that skipper Vikram Rathour had to keep wickets for the North Zone team after regular wicket-keeper Vijay Dahiya complained of a stiff neck. Wearing the keeping gloves after a long time, Rathour stunned everybody including the selection committee chairman Chandu Borde by taking two spectacular catches in his short stint of around 15 overs behind the wickets.

Later in the evening when the team was having dinner, a bewildered admirer asked Rathour the reason why he didnacirc;euro;trade;t kept wickets regularly for the Indian team. acirc;euro;oelig;Indian team needs someone like you. As we saw today you can keep well and your batting exploits are known to everybody,acirc;euro; he reasoned. acirc;euro;oelig;You better ask him,acirc;euro; quipped Rathour jokingly while pointing towards Borde sitting next to him. Quick-witted Borde had an answer ready. acirc;euro;oelig;Well, if he continues to bat well and also keep the wickets in the same way as he did today who knows he might make a comeback in the Indian team soon,acirc;euro; said Borde.

It may have started as a joke but Rathour, who made his Ranji Trophy debut for the Punjab team in the late acirc;euro;trade;80acirc;euro;trade;s as a wicket-keeper, gave it a serious thought later on. The rest, as the cliche goes, is history as Rathour now gets ready for his new role as a wicket-keeper-cum-batsman and maybe skipper too of the India B team in the Hero Honda N.K.P. Salve one-day series which starts in Chennai on February 12.

acirc;euro;oelig;I made my debut in Ranji as a wicket-keeper in 1988-89 season so in a way keeping wickets will not be a new thing for me. However, since I kept only for a couple of seasons thereafter, I am working hard to get myself mentally ready for the whole thing,acirc;euro; remarked the diligent cricketer after having a long and sweating session behind the wickets at the nets of the PCA Stadium in Mohali, here today.Rathour, attending a camp for the Punjab Ranji Trophy probables, spent most of the time behind the stumps trying to re-group the lost wicket-keeper in him. With a few excellent knocks in the Ranji and Duleep Trophy matches behind him this season, the in-form Punjab skipper could certainly afford to lay more stress on getting ready for his new role.

acirc;euro;oelig;The match against South Zone was certainly a turning point for me. Though former National coach Madan Lal had advised me to start keeping again, I wanted to concentrate on my batting and always felt a bit odd to re-start keeping all of a sudden. I am thankful to Mr Borde and Saurav for taking the initiative and showing faith in me,acirc;euro; says Rathour.

Fresh from his teamacirc;euro;trade;s success in the Duleep Trophy, Rathour said that he will now come lower down the batting order instead of opening the innings. acirc;euro;oelig;Wicket-keepers usually have the fifth or sixth down slot fixed for them and so it will be for me too. It also means that I may have to change my batting style as one has to bat aggressively at that slot.acirc;euro;

Stating that it will not be acirc;euro;oelig;that easy to get used to keeping wickets in just 10-12 daysacirc;euro;, Rathour was confident enough that he will emerge victorious in the end.acirc;euro;oelig;It will be more of a mental battle than anything else,acirc;euro; he said before signing off and getting ready for another arduous session behind the wickets, this time with the tennis balls.