Ranji Trophy: Vinay Kumar to turn out for Pondicherry

CHENNAI: Former Karnataka skipper Vinay Kumar will be turning up for Pondicherry in the upcoming domestic season. Vinay — who led Karnataka to twin Ranji Trophy crowns glory in 2013-14 and 2014-15 — has 459 wickets to his name in first-class cricket.
“There are very few cricketers in the country who boast of such an impeccable record in domestic circuit. We couldn’t have asked for a better player than Vinay since he has the experience of leading a top side and also winning the Ranji Trophy on multiple occasions,” an official from Cricket Association of Pondicherry (CAP) told TOI.
The official added that Vinay’s decision to move to Pondicherry became smoother once he knew that former Karnataka coach J Arun Kumar will be at the helm of affairs in the side.“Both Arun and Vinay clicked as coach and player respectively for Karnataka as they enjoyed a golden run during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons. It will be great if they could recreate that magic with Pondicherry as well,” added the official.
Ever since his debut in the 2004-05 season for Karnataka, the 35-year-old has been a vital cog of the side. Vinay’s consistent performance on the domestic front earned him a place in the national side where he featured in 1 Test, 31 ODIs and 9 T20s.
The other outstation players for Pondicherry include former Tamil Nadu player Arun Karthick and Paras Dogra — who earlier turned out for Himachal Pradesh. The side — to be captained by D Rohit — will be mentored by former West Indian great Alvin Kallicharran. Dishant Yagnik will be the team’s assistant coach.
Malolan back in TN fold: Allrounder R Malolan, who left Tamil Nadu to play for Uttarakhand last year, is keen to play for his state side this season. “Malolan expressed his desire to play for Tamil Nadu again and if things fall in place, he could be part of the side,” said a source.