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The Hindu
17-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Harsh Dubey on surprise India A call-up: 'Didn't believe it at first'
Success in Indian domestic cricket can cut both ways. Some players toil year after year, waiting endlessly for a national call-up. Others force their way in with performances too good to ignore. Vidarbha spinner Harsh Dubey falls into the second bracket. His record-breaking 69 wickets in the 2024–25 season powered Vidarbha to a Ranji Trophy title and earned him a place in the India A squad for the upcoming England tour. 'Honestly, I wasn't expecting the call-up. I didn't believe it at first. It took some time to sink in,' Dubey said in a telephonic conversation with Sportstar. 'It is a great feeling to be able to represent your country. Having last played for the Under-19 side in 2019, I will now get another opportunity, and I'm looking forward to it,' he added. The India A tour includes matches against the England Lions in Canterbury and Northampton, and a fixture against the senior India side in Beckenham — a fresh test for Dubey's red-ball craft. READ | India A squad for England Tour 2025: Abhimanyu Easwaran named captain, Dhruv Jurel vice-captain 'I will try to speak to as many people as possible on how to prepare, what I can expect, and how the wickets will play,' said the left-arm spinner, who is preparing for his first senior tour overseas. Dubey is used to bowling with the SG Test ball at home, which is known for its pronounced seam and firmness. In England, he'll likely be working with the Dukes ball — used primarily in England, Ireland and the West Indies. While this will be his first time playing with it, the transition may not be too steep. 'I have never played with the Duke ball before, but I have practised with the Kookaburra. I will try to get an idea from people who have gone before reaching there and acclimatising,' he added. For Indian spinners, the Dukes ball can be an asset. Its pronounced seam and ability to stay hard throughout the innings — especially on dry pitches — mirrors the characteristics of the SG red cherry, offering good grip and consistent bounce. After the domestic season, Dubey turned out for Vijay CC in the Chennai First Division league. He claimed four wickets in the Raja of Palayampatti Shield final, helping the team finish runner-up. A brief break at home was cut short when Sunrisers Hyderabad brought him in as an injury replacement for Karnataka batter R. Smaran in IPL 2025. He didn't get a game, with the league suspended just days after his inclusion, but stayed focused. 'I had just started training when the call came. My focus was to improve my fitness and regain my strength after the load on my body last season,' Harsh explained. 'I have realised that the more I am in the present, the better I get to prepare. I was concentrating on my batting, bowling and fitness so that I can be ready whenever an opportunity arises,' he added. Now, with Sunrisers out of Playoff contention and the season winding down, Dubey is hoping to pick the brain of head coach Daniel Vettori before heading to England. 'So far, I haven't had many opportunities to interact with him since I participated in only one practice session. I'll try speaking to him to absorb as much as I can from him,' the spinner said.
New Indian Express
12-05-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Stellar display helps Sical move up divisions
Winning 11 out of 11 matches may look like an easy task, but Sical did face some tough teams and tricky situations. 'Matches against RKS Cricket Club and IOB were quite challenging. We faced IOB in the match that decided the Zone championship. Star performers of the match were Kannan and Wafar with the bat, while V Subramania Siva and Akash Sumra stood out with the ball. We played the overall Third Division Championship catch against Bunts CC, with Tamil Kumaran and Sanjay playing key roles. The overall championship match was played at VB Nest grounds, so one needed to adapt to the conditions and the wickets. Our players adapted well,' he said. Rathinam credited the team management for providing good coaches and excellent acilities for the boys to perform to their potential. 'Our coaches are Tamil Kumaran and Subramania Siva, and the support staff are Prabhakaran, Vasu, and Vairav. They helped the players to be in good shape and perform to their potential. Our team management held all the practice sessions at Madras Institute of Sports Academy, St. George School, in the heart of the city, and all players could practice easily,' he said. Now they have set their sights on getting a promotion and bringing the team to the First Division with the long-term goal of winning the Raja of Palayampatti Shield. 'We are dedicated to working towards this goal. To strengthen the squad for higher competition, we need to evaluate and recruit additional talent. This could involve bringing in experienced players who have played in the Second Division or higher, as well as identifying emerging talent. We will provide the team with specialised training to improve essential skills for the next level of competition, such as fitness, match awareness, and mental toughness,'' he signed off.
New Indian Express
29-04-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Jolly Rovers gets a win in a gripping lead
Winning three senior division titles on the trot didn't come easy for Jolly Rovers Cricket Club. As they edged past Vijay CC to clinch the Raja of Palayampatti Shield recently, based on the 12-run first innings lead, Jolly Rovers achieved just that. This victory and consistency is a result of a culture that revolves around work ethic and self improvement. In fact, it has played a crucial role in producing elite athletes like B Sai Sudarshan, Sandeep Warrier, Manimaran Siddarth, Baba Aparajith and Baba Indrajith. 'We have a welcoming culture here, where players not part of the state team come here and refine their abilities,' says captain Indrajith. This victory tastes sweeter for Indrajith considering the obstacles that they overcame. 'We had close to six injuries in the team and departures of star names to IPL and other commitments,' he says. 'Youngsters, especially R Vimal Kumar (1,200 runs) turned up with a plethora of runs, and that has factored in our win.' Despite the injury-lay up, Indrajith played his part by instilling patience among the boys. 'But credits to them, it's their winning mentality that put us through and earned us the third title,' he notes. Although Indrajith came up with a gritty 133 run knock, it was his catch to dismiss southpaw Vignesh P, who was putting up a strong stand for Vijay CC, that turned the match. 'It was relieving. That catch was more instinctive. We had toiled hot in the hot summer sun, and that is why it was relieving,' he says. Aparajith, who is coming fresh off the Ranji Trophy final for Kerala, too, did well with the ball in addition to playing anchor to his brother's magnificent knock. His three-wicket return at the final proved to be decisive in clinching the title. "Playing for the team (Jolly Rovers) means so much, especially with its historical significance. With the youngsters, they have grown at least 15-20 per cent," he says. Indrajith has some ideas for the club. He says, '(I want to)maintain the legacy of the club by helping the youngsters and helping produce some quality cricketers. It is important to keep this culture.' Aparajith sang from the same hymn sheet. 'We want to do what we are already doing well. So, whatever things we are doing. We have to keep doing it. Keep continuing what we do. Try to improve every year. Don't set a specific goal. We have already won because we are doing well. So, we have to keep doing that. I think there are a lot of upcoming cricketers. But they are all working really hard. They are looking to play in the Ranji Trophy. So, the motivation is very high. If you have the right core of people, the team will grow,' Aparajith says, adding, 'The youngsters are looking to play for Ranji Trophy and India. There are a lot of people like that. But I can clearly say that Vimal Kumar— with the he kind of performance, and getting 1200 runs — definitely, he is looking to go up. I think he is locking the doors really hard for the state team.'
