After leading Haryana to its maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy title here on Saturday, captain Ashok Menaria said that a hamstring injury and its resultant fallout prompted him to part ways with Rajasthan after serving his home state for close to 15 years.
“I had a hamstring injury, in the fifth match against Karnataka [Ranji Trophy 2022-23]. I did an MRI, and it was revealed I had a Grade 2 tear. I was advised to take four to six weeks of bedrest. I wasn’t able to even walk. I didn’t bat in the second innings [against Karnataka]. This happened under the supervision of the RCA (Rajasthan Cricket Association). They gave me permission for the MRI and even booked my tickets back to Udaipur,” Menaria told Sportstar.
“Then, suddenly I saw news in the media that ‘Ashok Menaria doesn’t want to play and gets injured on purpose’. I gave my entire career to the State. I had injuries, operations and won the Ranji Trophy with the team. But when they should have taken care of me, they gave such a statement in the media,” he added.
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A few days after this episode, the 33-year-old said he was approached by Haryana Cricket Association (HCA) director of coaching Ashwini Kumar, who connected Menaria to Anirudh Chaudhry, who in turn helped him in his rehabilitation.
“He [Chaudhry] got a small surgery done for my knee and fixed my hamstring. He kept me under rehabilitation for three months. I didn’t play the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy [2023], but I was with the team because my rehabilitation was ongoing,” Menaria said.
The former Rajasthan skipper was handed the reins of the Haryana team, which Menaria said helped him regain trust in his skill and fitness and overcome the ‘mental trauma’ of what was going on back home.
Menaria endured a poor 2022-23 and managed only 86 runs in seven innings in the Ranji Trophy after disappointing returns in the white-ball legs of the season.
The domestic stalwart credited HCA for being proactive in its approach and holding camps round the year.
“The good thing about HCA is that there is cricket 365 days. There are camps and matches every day. We have had three camps of red-ball cricket already before the season. I wanted the team to play the Buchi Babu tournament as preparation, and the management agreed.”
On beating his former team Rajasthan in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final, Menaria, who scored a crucial 96-ball 70, said his only motivation was to give something back to Haryana.
“It wasn’t that I wanted to beat Rajasthan because of what the Association did to me. The players are very nice, and I have played all my cricket with them. They are still very good friends.”
The left-hander had made his First-Class debut with Rajasthan in 2008 and was part of the team when it won back-to-back Ranji Trophy titles in 2010-11 and 2011-12. The left-hander was also Rajasthan’s top run-scorer in the Super League phase of its maiden title triumph in 2010-11.
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