Qamran, Kaverappa and Rinku: A nice blend of self-made method and thriving under pressure
Bharath Ramaraj, CoE
Qamran Iqbal’s batting brings out the essence of first-class cricket. The 25-year-old opener from Srinagar may never play for India at the highest level. His rather curious game may not necessarily cajole fans to flock to the stadium just to watch him bat. Yet, his self-made technique is compelling to watch. In the ongoing Duleep Trophy semifinal between South Zone and North Zone at the Centre of Excellence, Qamran accrued 76 runs for North. But for much of that innings, his struggles at the crease were evident.
On occasions, while trying to drive Tanay Thyagarajan, the spinner, his bottom hand came off the handle. At times, he seemed caught in two minds over whether to play at Vidwath Kaverappa’s offerings. While attempting the flick against the quicker bowlers, he once again looked rushed. He also offered a couple of chances that South Zone failed to grab. Despite all that, he managed a gutsy 76. More importantly, his innings offered a glimpse into the grind of first-class cricket and how every run has to be earned.
Just a few months ago, Qamran also had to earn his place in the Jammu and Kashmir side for the Ranji Trophy final against Karnataka. At the eleventh hour, J&K’s regular opener picked up an injury. Qamran had to take three different flights before linking up with the squad just minutes before the start of play. He went on to score 160 in the second innings. That knock, too, had its share of plays and misses, hacks and shots played after backing away towards the leg side. Vijaykumar Vyshak, the Karnataka pace bowler, was visibly frustrated by Qamran’s methods. In an imaginary sense, all Qamran might have said to his opponent was: Look up at the scorecard, mate.
The ongoing semifinal between North and South also saw Vidwath Kaverappa pick up four wickets. The tall Karnataka pacer had missed the aforementioned Ranji Trophy final, with the coaching staff preferring Vidyadhar Patil. For a bowler who had earned a BCCI fast-bowling contract not too long ago, it was a downward slide. Due to a variety of reasons, including a shin injury, Kaverappa has played fewer than 10 first-class matches since the start of the 2024-25 season.
Returning to the Duleep Trophy semifinal, Kaverappa had figures of 0/38 after seven overs at one stage before bouncing back in style. The 27-year-old was measured when speaking to a select media gathering after the day’s play. “I am not really over the moon or something like that,” Kaverappa told reporters on Sunday at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. “I’m just taking one game at a time and not thinking too far ahead. I know the kind of bowling I can produce. So I cannot relax or be complacent with this.” The salient feature of his bowling was the way he extracted enough lift from a slow deck and got the ball to cut off the seam.
In the other semifinal between Central and East Zone, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi took over the captaincy duties after Ishan Kishan was hit on the hand and hogged the limelight.
But the hero of the day’s play from that game was Rinku Singh. The left-hand batter was not picked in the original squad for the 2024 Duleep Trophy. Last year, he played very few first-class matches because of his national commitments.
In that context, it felt like a moment of significance in Rinku’s career when he looked heavenwards after reaching a gutsy fifty. It was a quintessential Rinku innings. He ran like a jackrabbit between the wickets, turning ones into twos and constantly putting pressure on the fielding side. Essentially, he became the fulcrum of Central Zone’s total of 266.
So, that was about the three musketeers of the day. All three are at slightly different stages of their respective careers. But on the given day, the threesome, representing different teams, had one common trait: the ability to soak up pressure and rise to the occasion.
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