Ranji Trophy 2023-24: After six-year wait, Tamil Nadu’s Lokeshwar hails “debutant’s luck” after maiden half-century

Playing his first Ranji Trophy match, Lokeshwar profusely had what he calls the “debutant’s luck.” He’s scored his maiden fifty (52, 129b, 6×4), and has received his first match together with his workforce.

But he was much more lucky than that.

He was adjudged leg earlier than off left-arm pacer Arjun Tendulkar on the very first ball of his Ranji profession. It was additionally the primary ball of Tamil Nadu’s first innings within the fifth-round match versus Goa.

“I didn’t expect that to happen. I thought it was going down (the leg side). The moment I got it on the pad, I was waiting for the fielders’ reaction, because I didn’t look at the umpire. The fielders started celebrating. I was blank at that moment, I didn’t know what to do. I started walking back, thinking that things are over,” he mentioned after Tamil Nadu’s seven-wicket win on the Goa Cricket Association (GCA) Academy floor on Monday.

Arjun was cock-a-hoop too. But he and his teammates have been immediately deflated like a pricked balloon when the umpire signalled a no-ball!

“Fortunately, it happened to be a no-ball. The debutant’s luck, I would say. Then, I thought there’s no need to feel any jitters,” mentioned Lokeshwar.

FOLLOW | RANJI TROPHY DAY 4 LIVE UPDATES

It’s standard to really feel jittery in your debut match, however for Lokeshwar, he needed to anticipate six years as a result of the occasion was so overwhelming. He first received into the Tamil Nadu Ranji squad within the 2017-18 season. Subsequently, he featured within the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, too. He’d been with the squad for 9 matches and had debuted on his tenth.

“I was waiting for this moment for a long time. I had come to this team back in 2017. I’ve been here for around six years, but I didn’t get my debut.

“It was a memorable moment to get my cap this game. I had my jitters when I went in to bat. But I just wanted to enjoy that moment, just wanted to enjoy the four days irrespective of what happens. I wanted to make these four days a lifetime memory!”

The debut received sweeter for him as he received to his maiden fifty in Tamil Nadu’s second innings hopefully once more!

ALSO READ | MATCH REPORT

He was dropped on 34 on the final day’s play on Monday morning. Nevertheless, he’d gotten himself in on each innings on a pitch the place it was exhausting batting, and each groups had its mini collapses. The pitch was two-paced and aided sharp flip for the spinners. There was seam motion too, particularly on the primary half of the second day.

S. Lokeshwar (c) together with his skipper Sai Kishore (l) and teammate Pradosh Ranjan Paul (r) after Tamil Nadu’s seven-wicket win over Goa on the Goa Cricket Association (GCA) Academy floor on Monday.
| Photo Credit:
 S. Prasanna Venkatesan

“The wicket was very tricky. It’s probably the toughest wicket I have played in my life. Even if the score was around 150 (the target for Tamil Nadu was 136), it was very tricky on this wicket.

“I will definitely rate it (his fifty) in my top-three or top-five innings. Being the Ranji Trophy debut, that’s a silver lining to me. So, I’ll carry this memory for life!” he mentioned.

That’s why the player-of-the-match Pradosh Ranjan Paul was impressed sufficient to present away his award to the diminutive opener!