As some say, expect the unexpected. Ruturaj Gaikwad, India C’s captain, has decided that he doesn’t need the services of Sai Sudharsan while chasing a mammoth total of 350 against India A in Anantapur. Instead, he opted for tailender Vijaykumar Vyshak as his opening partner. A victory would confirm that India C will lift the Duleep Trophy 2024 trophy, but still, Gaikwad felt that Vyshak would be the one to face the new red cherry. Why? No one is sure at the moment. It’s a question that only Gaikwad can answer.
Why Vyshak ahead of Sudharsan?
Now, Vyshak has a first-class hundred to his name, but despite Sudharsan averaging just 36 with the ball, the pacer isn’t a better batter than him. It’s not just that Sudharsan didn’t open. You can assume that he might be unwell or injured, and so he didn’t come to bat, but why not some other batter? Can’t Rajat Patidar, who batted at 3 for India C in the first innings move one spot up?
There could be three possible reasons. One would be that the weather forecast predicts that there might be some rain and that play might be halted, but that doesn’t seem convincing. The second would be that scoring 350 isn’t likely, and so India C have already accepted defeat, but given how red-class cricket is being played now, scoring 350 isn’t that tough. Third could be that as India C are leading the points table and would likely win the Duleep Trophy 2024 trophy anyway, Gaikwad has decided why not have some fun.
Vijaykumar Vyshak’s first-class batting record
| Mat | Inns | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 31 | 472 | 103* | 16.85 | 55.59 | 1 | 1 |
