Abhishek Nayar moves his base to Pondicherry ahead of Ranji Trophy
Abhishek Nayar has decided to leave Mumbai Ranji Trophy team to join Pondicherry, by stating that he will try to make a difference. He also stated that even though he wasn't happy about how things went down in Mumbai, he still respects the decisions and shall play his 100th game with Pondicherry.
A useful right-arm medium pacer and a regular attacking option with the bat, Nayar rendered yeoman service to Mumbai cricket over the years. Capable of crease occupation and hitting the ball hard, Nayar chipped in with vital contributions in Mumbai's successful Ranji Trophy campaigns. In the final of 2007-09 Ranji trophy final, he made a vital 99 that helped set up Mumbai's 38th triumph. To go with that, he was the
Nayar had just started to turn a rather tepid Ranji Trophy season around when he played against Andhra Pradesh in November 2017 and was all set to play his 100th first-class match against Tripura. However, two days after the Andhra game, Nayar got a call from Ajit Agarkar, then chief selector of Mumbai, and was told that he wouldn't be in the squad. Eventually, he didn't get to play for the rest of the season.
He will get to 100 this time around, but it will be with Pondicherry, one of the nine new teams in the Ranji Trophy. Nayar had been in talks with the
"Initially, I was very sour. I wasn't very happy with how things went - 100th game, in Mumbai, versus Tripura," he reflects. "I was just getting back into form, getting back my flow. I kept thinking 'Why? What can the thinking be? I mean, I've done so much. I've been there. I've always been someone who has given everything for the team. Why? After I got dropped I played a lot of club cricket, company cricket and did well there. But I still didn't get picked anywhere… I don't want to judge anyone. I have immense respect for Ajit as a cricketer, person
There was also the fact that Nayar's previous two seasons had been absolutely successful, netting a combined 1006 runs (average 43.74) and 40 wickets (average 28.975) across 18 games in 2015-16 and 2016-17. Nayar called them "dream seasons"
"When I look back at it, I feel like I didn't play my 100th game then, but so what? Two years later, no one talks about who you played your 100th game for, or where you played. I'm sure my team-mates have the same amount of respect for me, five games or 100 games. Whether or not it was my last game for Mumbai, I'm going, knowing that the relationships I've formed with people there will last,” Nayar added.
Pondicherry certainly presents the kind of set-up that Nayar enjoys - a fresh team, a big challenge, being friend, philosopher and guide to a new bunch.
"For me, if I'm going somewhere, I should be able to make a difference," he says. "So I don't want to go to a team where I will take someone's spot, or a youngster coming in won't get to play - but rather somewhere I can help people grow into better cricketers, or be in a set-up where ideally, there are people who need that help.Pondicherry is an exciting set-up for me to be in. It's a brand new team, they don't have established local players,” Nayar concluded.