Battling cancer, Arun Lal ‘bats’ for Bengal

CHENNAI: After being diagnosed with jaw cancer a couple of years ago, the affable Arun Lal is back in the cricketing ‘circuit’ as the Bengal team mentor for the Ranji Trophy this season. It’s his first major assignment since the illness, a situation that he says he has to continually manage.
“It is a tightrope. I have to keep going for my scans. My particular affliction is something that will never leave me.I cannot be cured of it. It is a very rare kind of disease. It is through the nerves and not the blood. You have to be careful. It is bound to come back. It is like a given. But it is not such a fast-growing one. So it will give you time to battle it,” says the former India opener.
But given Lal’s new role, he doesn’t have much time to think about anything but cricket. After Bengal’s poor showing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy earlier this season, the 63-year-old was roped in by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) with the aim of putting things right. So far, it’s been a mixed bag. After taking the first-innings lead in their first two games against Himachal and Madhya Pradesh, they suffered a crushing defeat against a Jalaj Saxena-inspired Kerala at home in their last match.
Ahead of a crucial game against TN at Chepauk starting from Wednesday, Lal, however, maintained there was no need for them to panic.
“It’s an important match for both sides. However, there is still a long way to go in the tournament. There are five more games left for us. The qualification will go down to the wire. It is about which team holds its focus and determination. It is important not to panic and just play normal cricket,” observed Lal after a practice session here on Monday.
After what he has been through in the last couple of years, Lal says he was very happy “doing nothing” before the Bengal offer came in. “I was very happy with my life. If I wanted to take on a coaching role with Bengal, I would have approached them. The CAB actually asked me whether I can be mentor for three seasons. I declined. I can’t because my perspectives have changed. I want time for a lot of other things like my travels, family and for doing nothing. So I will do it for at least this season and then think about it after that.”
TN unchanged for Bengal tie: With Dinesh Karthik expected to return home only on Wednesday after being involved in India’s T20I series against Australia Down Under, the wicketkeeper-batsman is unavailable for Tamil Nadu’s Ranji Trophy clash against Bengal. As a result, TN have named an unchanged squad for the tie.