Top performer from a cellar side

NEW DELHI, January 7: Jaswant Rai, who has been representing Himachal Pradesh in Ranji Trophy for over 12 years, has several distinctions...

NEW DELHI, January 7: Jaswant Rai, who has been representing Himachal Pradesh in Ranji Trophy for over 12 years, has several distinctions to his credit, including being the first from the state to have played maximum number of Ranji matches 59.

It may seem easy to represent a weak team in the zone but there, too, performance counts, as the left-arm spinner and useful right-handed middle-order batsman has proved time and again in his long career. It is easier to score runs and get wickets against weaker teams but it is very difficult to do so against stronger teams in the zone.

Rai was the first player from Himachal to have completed 100 wickets in the national championships and the first all-rounder from the state to score more than 1,600 runs and 130 wickets.

Himachal has never qualified for the knockout stage. 8220;Nor will they if the present system of three teams from each zone qualifying continues,8221; he says. Therefore, it is all the more creditable for this 28-year-old employee of A.G. Audit in Chandigarh to have lasted this long.

This season in the Ranji Trophy, Jaswant Rai8217;s major efforts were against two of the strong teams of the zone, Punjab and Haryana. Against Punjab, Rai claimed four wickets for 157 runs while against Haryana he had five for 153, sharing the major burden of bowling of his team.

Rai vividly recalls Himachal Pradesh8217;s match against Punjab in Mandi last year when the cellar-side shocked strong contenders Punjab in the one-day game.

8220;It was a historic occasion for the state and its cricket, I was more elated because I was leading the side and claimed three wickets,8221; Rai said.

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In fact, he has always done well against the neighbouring state. His best bowling effort todate has also been against Punjab, six for 84 at Amritsar in 1989.

Rai had led the state team for two successive years in 1989 and 1990 and skippered the side for two games in 1998.

Rai also holds the distinction of being the first from the state to have claimed maximum number of wickets in one-dayers. He has so far taken 34 wickets in the shorter version of the game in 27 matches. His best effort in one-day is four for 14 against Jammu and Kashmir in 1996.

With so much competition from the three strong teams Delhi, Punjab and Haryana in North Zone, Jaswant Rai is aware of the opportunities cricketers from the weaker teams would get in big-level games. Yet, he was a standbye for North Zone in Deodhar Trophy in 1996.

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Rai has also played against touring UAE and Holland teams and was declared the best bowler against UAE at Chandigarh in 1992, getting three wickets for 20 runs in eight overs.

Rai, who made his Ranji debut in 1986, plans to continue for another couple of years. His ambition is to represent the zone in the near future.