Debutants impress but Punjab's Ranji Trophy campaign off to a shaky start

CHANDIGARH: Many of the current players in the present Punjab Ranji Trophy squad were not even born, when the state won its one and only Ranji title back in 1992-93. The average age of the current squad is 24.5 years. In cricketing context, the current team can be tipped as the “daring ones” of Punjab cricket.


The start, however, has been far from desired this season. In their first match of the Ranji Trophy, Punjab conceded the first innings lead against Andhra Pradesh in their Group B encounter in Visakhapatnam.

The result was frustrating for Punjab, but there were some significant individual performances from their debutants. All-rounder

Sanvir Singh

hit a magnificent century on his debut, while leg-spinner Mayank Markande scored an unbeaten 68 and then went on to take a five-wicket haul.

Every Ranji season comes with its own set of challenges and aspirations for players; this one will be crucial given the important tournaments that are coming up for India. Here is a look at the key talking points from Punjab’s first match of the Ranji season.

Century on debut
Sanvir Singh cracked a century in his debut game to help Punjab put up a total of 414 in their first innings against Andhra Pradesh.

The 22-year-old, who had the distinction of representing Punjab in U-14, U-16, U-19 and U-23 age-groups, came to the crease when his team was in trouble.

“We were 160 for 4, when I came to bat. My first aim was to build small partnerships and remain not out on the first day. In the evening, I received a text from Yuvi paa (Yuvraj Singh). He wrote ‘well played.’ That message gave me lots of confidence; and thankfully, I went on to score a century on my debut,” Sanvir told TOI.

Singh, who is an admirer of South African legend Jacques Kallis, considers himself as a batting all-rounder. “Batting is my top priority. I am a batsman, who can bowl 12-14 overs in a day for my captain,” said Sanvir.

There is no doubt that Sanvir has grabbed his opportunity with both hands. He has dreams of playing for the country; but at present, his target is to cement his place in the Punjab senior team.

Sizzling Markande
Seven months back, Patiala lad Mayank Markande was an unknown entity in Indian cricket circles. The 2018 IPL saw Markande arrive on the scene. The 20-year-old was representing the Mumbai Indians and accounted for Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni with a ripping googly; Markande had Dhoni leg before wicket. Since then, Markande hasn’t looked back and has gone on to play for India ‘A’ – then also made an impressive Ranji debut for Punjab.

Markande not only took five wickets, but also scored a valuable unbeaten 68 for the team.

“On the eve of the match, Mandeep paaji told me that I will be playing. There were no nerves per se because I had played several pressure games in the last one year. The only thing that was on my mind was to do well for my state,” said Markande.

Talking about his batting, Markande said with certain amount of confidence, “During my U-16 and U-19 days, I used to be a batting all-rounder; but with time, my bowling took the centre stage. I am more than a capable batsman.”
Markande will miss Punjab’s next couple of matches since he has been selected for the upcoming Emerging Players Asia Cup, which is scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka from December 2 to 17.

Big boots to fill
With Harbhajan Singh clearly stating before the season that he is going to concentrate on the limited-overs formats for Punjab, the selectors chose a rookie off-spinner – Arpit Pannu – in the team. Pannu, though, didn’t have anything to write home about in his debut match. He had a steady start, adding a crucial 66 for the seventh wicket with Sanvir. Overall, the 22-year-old scored 18 runs and picked a wicket.

“Since I was the only off-spinner in the squad, I was confident of making my debut this season. Playing for Punjab is an amazing feeling, and I am looking forward to contribute with both bat and ball in the upcoming matches,” said a confident Pannu.

Coach’s verdict
Punjab team’s cricket manager Rajdeep Kalsi was all praise for the debutants. “I have watched them from close quarters since the last two to three years. All of them were knocking the door and it was about time that they got their due. Their debut performance will be a huge boost for the coming matches,” said Kalsi.

Although Punjab got only one point from their opening encounter, but Kalsi called it a spirited performance.

“It was definitely a spirited team performance. Mandeep led the side from the front. There were some brilliant individual performances, and I am confident that in the coming matches we will improve as a team,” said Kalsi.

“This is an exciting bunch. It is a very young team. I am sure that they will qualify for the knockouts,” he added.