An orthodox left-hand batsman, Rohan Prem likes to bat long in domestic matches. Like his approach to batting, Rohan’s cricketing career for Kerala too has been a lengthy one.
But after an 18-year career that has seen him emerge as one of the pillars of Kerala batting, the 37-year-old has decided to end his innings with state cricket. Rohan informed his decision to his teammates and the officials of Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) before the start of the Ranji Trophy tie against Bengal and made it public on Monday.
But the top run-getter for Kerala in first-class cricket isn’t retiring yet. He has kept his options of playing for other states open. “If I move out, it gives the selectors the opportunity to give a chance to a youngster for Kerala’s next game against Andhra and they can look at more options for the next season. So far, I haven’t received any offers from other state associations. If I get a call, I wouldn’t hesitate to play for another state as I love this game so much,” the Thiruvananthapuram lad said.
A batter who loves to put a prize on his wicket, rival bowlers often found Rohan hard to dislodge. No wonder Rohan went past Sunil Oasis’s record of being the highest run-getter for Kerala in his 11th year in domestic cricket and ended his career for Kerala with 5,479 runs from 102 first-class matches. The elegant left-hander has hit 13 centuries and 27 fifties in his first-class career with the knock of 208 against Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi international stadium in 2015 being the highest.
“I have no regrets. I am happy with what I have achieved. If I look back, the most satisfying moments of my career came when my knocks under pressure resulted in my team’s victory. I rate the 79 and 74 I made in two innings against Jharkhand in Ranchi last year in my comeback season very highly in my domestic career,” said Rohan.
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