JAIPUR: The Rajasthan senior team, unlike the past many years, now boasts of a long tail. They bat till No. 8 and the bowlers have done well to add valuable runs, much to the frustration of the opponents. Ajay Kookna, one of the tailenders, who has impressed both with the ball and with the bat, shared that the management has ensured ‘all of us get sufficient time to bat in the nets’.
“We are made to practice both with the new and the old ball. Also, the team management has told us to put in the best effort and pile up at least 120-150 runs to the total,” the 27-year-old left-arm spinner said.
Kookna, who comes out to bat at No. 8, was a cause of distress for Vidarbha as he went on to score 83, and that was a major difference in Rajasthan ending with first innings lead in their last Ranji Trophy match played at the SMS Stadium. The No. 9 batsman Arafat Khan came up with a contribution of 38.
In the game against Maharashtra, where Rajasthan secured an outright win and earned a bonus point, Ajay and another spinner Shubham Sharma played defining roles with 26 and 53 runs respectively coming from their bats.
“Everyone is aware of their responsibilities and understands what is expected of them. As a team we have full confidence in our tailenders giving that extra boost to the total. And to our delight, our wagging tail causes frustration among the opposition bowlers,” said head coach Anshu Jain.
The coach added that during the practice sessions, ‘we try to ensure that all the players get to bat’.
He applauded Ajay for his contribution. “I feel a spinner matures around 27-28 and Ajay is an example. He has reached that age and is delivering both with the ball and bat,” Anshu Jain added.
Ajay mentioned that he always knew how to bat, but before the 2023-24 season started, he worked hard on his batting ability as well. “Many people around me know that I can be good with the bat as well. They suggested that I should sharpen my batting skills. So I also devoted considerable time to batting,” the spinner said.
Playing their third home game from Friday, Rajasthan will take on Saurashtra at the SMS Stadium. Both the teams are entering the match with a win in their last outing.
