Ranji Trophy: Ranganath Vinay Kumar set for a century

BENGALURU: When Ranganath Vinay Kumar was handed the coveted Karnataka Ranji Trophy cap on November 7, 14 summers ago, he was a small-town boy with king-sized dreams. Although his team lost in his debut match — against Bengal in Kolkata — Vinay claimed a match haul of five wickets and his career took wings.
On November 12, when the 34-year-old leads the state team out against Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy opener, it will mark the bowling all-rounder’s 100th Ranji Trophy appearance.He will be the fourth from Karnataka after Sunil Joshi (117), Syed Kirmani (105) and Brijesh Patel (104) to achieve the milestone. Robin Uthappa (104) achieved the feat after moving to Saurashtra in 2017-18.
Vinay’s long and rich first-class cricket career has its foundations in a hard-work ethic, immense self-belief and a never-say-die attitude.
The pacer, who has led Karnataka to two Ranji Trophy titles apart from a host of other domestic riches, described the journey from a teenager from Davanagere looking to make it big to leading the Karnataka team, as an amazing one.
“I’m truly blessed to be what I am today,” said the bowler who has relied more on craft than pace. “I came to Bengaluru from Davanagere and began playing in the fifth division league. I then graduated to the first division and that opened up opportunities.”
Vinay, who made his debut under former Karnataka coach J Arun Kumar (JAK), credited his teammates for making him feel at home in the big city and in the team. “When I first arrived in Bengaluru, I felt I was from a small town. I was very lucky to play under JAK in a team coached by K Jeshwanth. Dodda Ganesh and NC Aiyappa, who were bowling partners. Thilak (Naidu), Sujith (Somasunder), (KS) Ponnappa and all the other seniors took care of me. Slowly, I forgot I was a small-town boy.”
Vinay also credited the Indian Premier League and the lessons he learnt from instant cricket for his success. “When IPL was launched (in 2008), I adapted to the changes and worked on my fitness. Thanks to the IPL, I got to share the dressing room with international cricketers and that gave me the confidence that I too could make it big.”
Vinay, who has played in one Test match and 31 ODIs for India, is a domestic cricket stalwart and has served cricket in the state well. Ask him about his achievements and he says he has a long way to go. “When I eventually look back, it will feel like a great achievement. But right now, I’m not thinking about any of them because I still want to come back and perform for my country. Maybe, once I stop playing cricket then it (the milestones) will feel like big achievements,” said Vinay, who has 383 Ranji Trophy wickets to his name.
Heading into his 15th season, age hasn’t slowed him down and he continues to be Karnataka’s mainstay. “I’m 34 but I feel like I’m 23-24,” he said. “People on the outside talk about the age factor, but from inside I don’t feel it. I know most people say this when they are growing old, but for me, age is just a number. Yes, the body might take a little bit longer to recover, but I’ve learnt to be smart with my workloads.”
In Ranji Trophy
Debut: Against Bengal in Kolkata in November 2004
Matches: 99
Wickets: 383- the tenth highest in the Ranji Trophy
Best match figures: 11/104 against Delhi in 2009-10
Prized wickets: Rohan Gavaskar and Sourav Ganguly in his debut match
Memorable match: The semifinals win against Mumbai in the 2014-15 season in which he returned 6/20 in the first innings to help Karnataka bowl out Mumbai for 44.