CHANDIGARH: Almost four years after being a 20-year-old rookie who replaced an injured
Mandeep Singh in a
Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy
match against Tripura in Kochi and hit an unbeaten 40 off just 29 balls to help Punjab win by eight wickets,
Anmol Malhotra was his ally in two
Ranji Trophy great escapes.
In the season’s opener against Rajasthan on a difficult Sawai Man Singh pitch, Punjab was reeling at 125 for 5 when the debutant walked in without any signs of nerves and put on a 143-run stand for the sixth wicket with centurion Mandeep Singh. Anmol scored a fine 76.
In the next match in Patiala, Punjab was again tottering at 169 for 5 against Hyderabad. Mandeep, who scored an excellent double hundred, added a match-winning 173 runs for the sixth wicket with Anmol (80), who missed his century but played a perfect foil for his skipper.
It was Mandeep, present Punjab captain, who gave Anmol his first state cap. Speaking to TOI after the victory over Hyderabad, Mandeep said about Malhotra: “He has shown a great temperament. We all knew his talent but watching him from the other end, I admired his fearless batting more.”
Anmol’s nerves of steel were built in his umpteen rescue acts for junior sides. He said: “In many situations from the under-19 and under-23 days, I have the experience of being sent in after the top-order collapse. Somehow, I always play well when the side is in trouble.” His advice for crisis
cricket
: “Use patience. Wait for the fast bowlers to tire and the pitch to ease, and then play your shots. The full backing of captain (Mandeep Singh) and coach (Munish Bali) also helped me.”
Accidental keeperOne can be a natural batsman or bowler but wicketkeepers are made. Mahendra Singh Dhoni fan Anmol was a middle-order batsman and a budding leg spinner in childhood when his coaches, Kiran Kumar and Dilip Yadav, threw him wicket-keeping gloves during a match. “I was 10 and captain of the academy,” Anmol said. “For that match, we had no wicketkeeper. From then on, leg spin took a back seat.”
Early lifeAnmol grew up in a middle-class working family, where his father, Rajkumar Malhotra, was a manager in Punjab National Bank, while his mother, Rajneesh Malhotra, worked for the railways. Like any kid of late 1990s and early 2000s, Anmol developed a passion for cricket. He said: “Even though no one in the family was into any sport, I received great support from my parents for cricket.”
Junior daysAnmol is from a golden generation of Punjab junior cricket, a side that won two Colonel C K Nayudu Trophies and one under-23 one-day cup. He was captain of the Punjab under-23 side that won C K Nayudu Trophy last year.
Punjab under-23 coach Sunil Kumar Saggi, under whom Anmol has played for the past six years since his Punjab under-19 days, calls him “the crisis man”. Saggi said: “I am not surprised by his performances. He’s our crisis man since junior cricket, besides being excellent even behind the wicket.”
Anmol owes his temperament to the grind of junior cricket. “I have played all possible age-group for Punjab and maintained consistency. The next goal is to help Punjab win Ranji Trophy after 27 years.”
On team cultureIn the match against Hyderabad, Punjab used seven players from Patiala. Most of them were from the successful U-23 campaign of the past three years. “I have played with all of them at junior level,” Anmol said, adding: “Even the seniors are helpful. I may have made my debut this year but I have been part of the Ranji camp for three years. The transition from Under-23 cricket to senior dressing room was smooth.”