Since its last Ranji Trophy triumph in 2011-12, when it defended its maiden title win, the only constant in Rajasthan’s tumultuous journey in domestic cricket has been Aniket Choudhary. The 33-year-old left-arm pacer is set to become the first player from his state to be present with the side in the final of the Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and now Vijay Hazare Trophy when Rajasthan takes on Haryana here on Saturday.
Though he didn’t play the final against Tamil Nadu, Choudhary was part of Rajasthan’s Ranji Trophy squad in the 2011-12 season. He led the team in the title clash of the 2018 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Delhi and is now revelling in his role as the senior-most member of the pace attack.
“ Chhote, chhote milestones aadmi leke chalta hai (These small milestones keep us going),” he chuckles.
His bowling partner Deepak Chahar, who has left the squad for India’s tour of South Africa, comes closest to Choudhary’s unique feat.
While Choudhary has been a constant for Rajasthan, a recurring influence in the Bikaner-born cricketer’s career has been Australian seamer Mitchell Starc.
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In June this year, Choudhary had flown to England as a net bowler to simulate Starc’s height and left-arm angle ahead of India’s World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia.
“Rahul Dravid [India head coach] told me that they were monitoring me. I had been performing well for the last three seasons on the domestic circuit. They also needed to practice for Mitchell Starc. They were very impressed. Rahul Dravid said, ‘You never know when you might get to play for India. Don’t look at your age’. These words were very motivating for me,” Choudhary told Sportstar on Friday, and added that Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma told him he was on their radar.
A couple of months later, Choudhary was also called for a five-day camp in Bengaluru ahead of the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka in August-September.
It wasn’t the first time though that Choudhary was called upon to assist the Indian team to prepare for Starc. In 2017, he had joined the national set-up ahead of the home Tests against New Zealand and Australia to reportedly help the side prepare for Trent Boult and Starc.
FILE PHOTO: Aniket Choudhary in action for Royal Challengers Bangalore. | Photo Credit: AFP
Interestingly, it was during one of those net sessions, when he was bowling to Kohli, that Choudhary’s life turned a corner. He was informed that he had been picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a whopping Rs. 2 crore at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, held a few days after Starc had parted ways with the franchise.
“You are rewarded, and you feel you have some value. At that time, for a domestic player to be sold for 2 crores was big. It also helps monetarily. You are also motivated to do better. I performed even better [on the domestic circuit] after that, but I don’t know why I didn’t get a chance after that,” he said, recalling that day.
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Choudhary picked five wickets in five matches that season for RCB and never played again. However, he credits his experience in the IPL for making him aware about fitness, diet and training regime.
He first unto the scene because of his ability to bowl quick and extract bounce but gradually lost his pace before pleasantly surprising himself during the semifinal against Karnataka.
“I felt my pace has reduced, but yesterday, since the match was live [telecast], I saw I was bowling around 140 kmph. Mujhe laga yeh to wohi chal raha hai,” Choudhary laughs.
His Rajasthan teammates and fellow pacers Chahar and Khaleel Ahmed have leapfrogged Choudhary into the Indian team, but the domestic stalwart is only glad to have an international player doing the hard yards for his state side.
“Khaleel and I do off-season training together. He was very eager to play this year after battling injuries last season. When an India player bowls with such intensity in domestic cricket, it feels good,” he said.
Choudhary also heaped praise on Deepak Hooda’s captaincy, which he says has gone a long way in turning Rajasthan’s fortunes around.
“Deepak Hooda has played a huge role in this team’s success. His arrival has made our batting unit very strong... He himself wants to make an India comeback, so he is very hungry to play all the games. He leads from the front.”
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