Services batter Rajat Paliwal
NEW DELHI: Services captain Rajat Paliwal is about to turn 35. He draws inspiration from the persistence of J&K’s 41-year-old captain Paras Dogra . On Monday, he was up against Aman Chaudhary – a 21-year-old left-arm spinner – who emerged as Delhi’s trump card in just his second first-class game. The word ‘relentless’ is tattooed on Chaudhary’s arm; and on a slow-turning first-day track at the Air Force ground in Palam, Paliwal, with an unbeaten 111, threatened to take the game away from Delhi. But it was Chaudhary’s probing spell of 4/79 (in 31 overs) that helped Delhi bowl out Services for 266 at stumps in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group C game. At the end of the day’s play, Paliwal, who has 110 first-class matches behind him, didn’t want to judge the new-age cricketers who unapologetically prioritise T20 cricket over first-class cricket.
He cited Delhi captain Ayush Badoni’s consecutive double centuries this season to validate the depth of Indian domestic cricket and then went on to talk about Dogra – Paliwal’s “inspiration”.
He got to lift the Ranji Trophy at this stage and age,” Paliwal said, who, earlier in the day, managed to steer his team from a precarious 158/7 to a competitive total on a pitch that’s likely to deteriorate. “My inspiration is Paras Dogra.