Hope selectors take note of Rajasthan's performance: Kanitkar
Rajasthan captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar feels that national selectors must be taking a note of the performance of Rajasthan players who have now won back-to-back national titles.
- Press Trust of India
- Updated: January 23, 2012 07:45 PM IST
Rajasthan captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar feels that national selectors must be taking a note of the performance of Rajasthan players who have now won back-to-back national titles.
While pacer Pankaj Singh has again been consistent picking up 34 wickets, Robin Bist has scored over 1000 runs.
"I am sure last year's and this year's performance would have impressed them. The selectors are taking note of everybody's performance," Kanitkar told reporters at the post-match press conference.
"Robin Bist is a talented batsman and a good prospect. Vineet Saxena is also a gritty player," Kanitkar said.
For Kanitkar, enjoying each other's success has been key. "We are a very well-knit side. We enjoy each other's success. The boys worked really hard. It was very difficult but I am happy, like every member of the team that we turned it around.
"I am happy it turned out this way for us. The team never took things easy. We stayed together. We believed in performing and winning rather on individual talents in the team."
Kanitkar feels that one needed to be patient to score runs on this track.
"One had to stay at the wicket and accumulate runs. Only mistakes by a batsman would cost him the wicket. The wicket was not placid as being made out, but the ball was keeping low. It was not easy to score runs on this track."
Kanitkar was asked whether Tamil Nadu batting first would have changed the complexion of the match, he said, "It was a low and slow track and Tamil Nadu batsmen are natural strokemakers which would have made their jobs difficult."
Tamil Nadu batsmen R Prasanna gave credit to the Rajasthan team for their outstanding performance.
"Rajasthan batsmen need to be praised for the manner in which they batted. Toss was a factor but we can't blame the toss entirely. They played better than us. The better team won," Prasanna spoke in the same vein as his skipper Balaji who conceded at the post-match presentation ceremony that Rajasthan were a better side.
As for his unfortunate run-out after a mid-pitch collision with Dinesh Karthik, Prasanna said, "We didn't plan anything at that stage. The idea was to take it session by session. We thought of taking the match into the fifth day."
Prasanna observed that the Tamil Nadu top-order batsmen, particularly Murali Vijay did not restrain himself and lost his wicket.
"It was not like that my teammates got out for rash batting. Our batsmen are stroke-players and unfortunately they failed this time. A player like Murali Vijay is known for his stroke-making skills, however he couldn't restrain himself and lost his wicket."