Vinit Indulkar, 35, returned to the city on Tuesday morning from Colombo, where he finished his one-day stint for Police Sports Club in the SLC Invitation Limited Over Tournament
Vinit Indulkar
Can a batsman dream of playing domestic cricket in another country nearly six years after he figured in his last first-class match for his home state? Yes, if one has the drive and desire like Mumbai batsman Vinit Indulkar.
Indulkar, 35, returned to the city on Tuesday morning from Colombo, where he finished his one-day stint for Police Sports Club in the SLC Invitation Limited Over Tournament.
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The classy right-hander last figured for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy during the 2013-14 season. His first innings 82 against Maharashtra in the quarter-final was the second highest score after current Mumbai skipper Suryakumar Yadav's 120. Mumbai's loss to their arch-rivals brought the season's curtains down for the kings of domestic cricket.
"My performance [146 runs in five games] may not appear great statistically, but apart from the odd game, all were low-scoring ones. We had a lot of rain as well, practically everyday," said one-drop batsman Indulkar, who was the top run-getter for his team. His 30 off 65 balls on Monday helped Police beat Sri Lanka Ports Authority by four wickets although his team didn't qualify for the semi-finals.
A 56 off 61 balls against Nondescripts CC was the best performance albeit in a losing cause. He gained satisfaction from the fact that four of the five teams he encountered were Tier A sides. Each of those outfits had quite a few left-arm spinners.
Indulkar decided to play domestic cricket in the Emerald Isles to fill in for a friend who was there last year but couldn't be part of the Sri Lanka circuit this time. He also wanted the experience of batting on Sri Lankan pitches.
Close at hand on the Sri Lankan domestic scene is a T20 tournament that Indulkar cannot be part of since the BCCI doesn't allow their players to grace overseas T20 events. But the Bharat Petroleum employee [Assistant Manager, Operations at Ahmednagar] can't wait for February when he will return to Colombo for the three-day tournament. "I'm looking forward to that tournament because my game is better suited for the longer version of the game. Patience is my strength so I am hopeful of doing well for Police Sports Club," said Indulkar.
Indulkar's talent and ability ought to have afforded him a longer tenure on India's first-class platform [he played three seasons for Himachal Pradesh], but it's that time of the year when looking ahead is a better option than turning back the clock.
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