Ajitesh, the latest sensation from TNPL’s talent-producing factory

G. Ajitesh was impressive even in his maiden season last year with useful cameos lower down the order (129 runs at a Strike Rate of 243), which was enough to get him into the Tamil Nadu T20 side.

FILE PHOTO: Nellai Royal Kings batter G. Ajitesh. | Photo Credit: LAKSHMI NARAYANAN E/The Hindu

Every edition of the TNPL has had an exciting player breakthrough with impactful performances and has graduated to the big league. Be it T. Natarajan in 2016, Varun Chakravarthy (2018) and more recently, Shahrukh Khan and B. Sai Sudharsan. One of the finds this year has been G. Ajitesh, who has played a vital role in Nellai Royal Kings reaching the final.

The youngster was impressive even in his maiden season last year with useful cameos lower down the order (129 runs at a Strike Rate of 243), which was enough to get him into the Tamil Nadu T20 side.

On Monday, the 20-year-old continued his imperious form slamming an unbeaten 73 (44b, 5x4, 5x6) in Qualifier-2, his third consecutive half-century in addition to a century, all of which came in a winning cause. It also took him to the top of the run charts with 384 runs (SR: 164.10).

“I had a different role than what I did last year, so I have been enjoying it, and I’m really happy that I could win so many games for the team,” said Ajitesh, who has been batting in the top-order this season and has grabbed the chance with both hands.

For someone who is not muscular, Ajitesh is one of the cleanest hitters in the tournament with a fast bat swing that has allowed him to top the boundary charts as well with 34 fours and 21 sixes.

Nellai Royal Kings batter G. Ajitesh. | Photo Credit: LAKSHMI NARAYANAN E/The Hindu

Speaking on the improvements from the last year, Ajitesh said, “After playing Mushtaq Ali, I felt I was struggling a bit against the spinners and worked on it. My set-up was not great, so I returned to a leg-stump guard, which allowed me not to get cramped.”

“More importantly, I am calmer this year. I have tried to improve tactically by getting myself in and taking the game deeper, knowing when and which bowler to target,” he added.

Ajitesh played age group cricket in Karnataka till the under-19 level before he switched allegiances due to a lack of opportunities after being spotted by former TN player Sunil Sam who got him to Coimbatore, where he has been training with Nellai team mentor A.G. Guruswamy.

It is a move that has worked out so far. With IPL scouts on the prowl at the venues, if he can finish the tournament on a high on Wednesday, it won’t be beyond the realm of possibility that he could join his fellow TN teammates in the big league next year.