Consistent Lomror makes strong case for Rajasthan's captaincy

JAIPUR: A mortifying end to the truncated domestic season 2020-21 has yet again exposed the long-standing fragility of Rajasthan's batting, and has also called into question Ashok Menaria's role as a captain. In the recently-concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy where Rajasthan could manage only one win from five matches, the southpaw failed miserably scoring only 94 runs in five matches, ranking lowest among the top six Rajasthan batsmen.
On the contrary, vice-captain Mahipal Lomror's consistent performance in the last couple of years, has many questioning the rationale behind not continuing with him despite a good showing as a captain in the 2018-19 season.
Former Rajasthan player and state selector Vinod Mathur feels Lomror is the right candidate for the challenging job of a captain. "When he was given the charge in 2018-19, Lomror did well and took the team to the quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy after six years. He also excelled with the bat. It's tough to figure why he was removed and Robin Bist came in."
As the captain, Lomror took Rajasthan into the quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy after six years. In 2019-20, Bist, who now plays for Sikkim, was handed over the reins and was sacked after the team failed to register any win in the first four games of the four-day tournament. Menaria, who was the highest run-getter in the season, was handed over the responsibility to get Rajasthan's campaign back on the track.
Among all the Rajasthan players, all-rounder Lomror's statistics are quite impressive. He was the second highest run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy seasons 2018-19 and 2019-20 where he notched up 708 runs in 10 matches and 543 runs in eight matches, respectively.
His numbers in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy are equally good. He was leading the run-chart for Rajasthan in the 2018-19 season with 200 runs from six games and was the third highest scorer in the following season.
21-year-old Lomror was the most consistent performer even this year. He was the second-highest scorer in the domestic T20s with 173 runs under his belt at a strike rate of 160.18. The all-rounder amassed 272 from five games at an average of 54.40 in the Hazare Trophy this year.
Mathur, who has seen Lomror from close quarters, feels the youngster has unmatched passion and team spirit. "Even if he is not in the playing XI, you will notice him backing the team from the dugout. He wants to do well for the team and ensure Rajasthan develop as a winning unit. The best part is, he can bring everyone together and make them work as a unit," the former selector added.
Not making Menaria the scapegoat, another former state player and U-19 coach Sharad Joshi has put emphasis on improving the performance by playing more practice games and by touring different states to play preparatory matches. "I feel the team must leave behind what has happened and look ahead, and immediately start practicing for the next season. Focus should also be on the youngsters who are doing well at the U-19 and Under-23 levels as they are the bench strength of the team," Sharad said.
From the last many years, Rajasthan have begun their domestic season without any proper preparation with camps starting hardly 15-20 days before the first game. Earlier it was the BCCI's ban while this year Covid-19 outbreak played spoilsport in the ideal preparation that the team was looking to have prior to the season.
Harish Joshi, an ex-Rajasthan all-rounder and U-23 coach, was also on the same page as Sharad while talking about Menaria and backing youngsters. "I would rather have a mature head to lead the team. A senior commands respect from other players and that's very important. Youngsters get carried away," he added.
Though, Menaria's inconsistency is an area of concern. Opportunities in cricket are a handful and only players who can perform in the toughest of situations get rewarded.
Talking about the youngsters, Harish pointed out that Rajasthan have not invested in youngsters who have been doing well. "It's high time and the younger lot must be backed fully. You have to take chances and give these players time and platform to prove themselves." Citing Aditya Garhwal's example, Harish said that instead of Twenty20 he should have made his first-class debut three years back.
In the absence of a proper infrastructure, players have been at the receiving end from the last many years and it 'is a major issue' feels Harish. "The RCA Academy which was once the best in the entire country is now in shambles. The day-to-day affairs of Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) are not being managed properly," he remarked.
Meanwhile, RCA secretary Mahendra Sharma said they will hold a review meeting soon and start preparation for the next domestic season in April. "Given the procedure in place, we have asked the coaching staff to send the performance report. We will receive it in the coming 3-4 days and we will then hold a review meeting. This year we will start preparation for the next domestic season in April itself. We will also ensure Colvin Shield gets underway," the secretary said.