Rohan Prem brings curtains down on his Ranji Trophy career for Kerala

The 37-year-old Rohan Prem didn’t take the field on the final day against Bengal because of illness. In his last match, Rohan scored three in the first innings and didn’t bat in the second innings.

FILE PHOTO: Rohan Prem represented the under-19 Indian team along with Rohit Sharma in 2006. | Photo Credit: The Hindu

Rohan Prem has brought curtains down on his Ranji Trophy career for Kerala after he requested the selectors not to consider him for the season ending match against Andhra which begins in Vizianagaram on Friday.

The 37-year-old Rohan Prem didn’t take the field on the final day against Bengal because of illness. In his last match, Rohan scored three in the first innings and didn’t bat in the second innings. His form was very patchy this season as he managed only two fifties from eight innings.

However, Rohan has not retired from First Cricket, and he said he will explore the possibilities of playing as a professional player for other states in the premier competition. “I haven’t retired from First Class cricket. But I have played my last Ranji Trophy match for Kerala. The selectors gave sufficient hint that they were keen to blood youngsters in the away match against Andhra. I didn’t want to block the chances of youngsters and requested the selectors not to consider me for selection. The next season is still a good six or seven months away and I will be looking for chances to play as a professional in other States,’’ he said.

Looking back at his career, Rohan said it was a privilege to play for state and was happy at what he achieved in his career. “I am satisfied with what I achieved in my career. It was a long journey, and I had some wonderful memories as a player,’’ said Rohan, who represented the under-19 Indian team along with Rohit Sharma.

Rohan Prem made his Ranji debut against Rajasthan in the 2005 season after making his mark at the junior level. Rohan turned out to be one of the prolific scorers for Kerala and accumulated 5479 runs in FC cricket from 102 matches (average 38) with 208 against Hyderabad in 2015 as his highest score. He also hit 13 centuries and took 53 wickets. Rohan also played 63 List-A matches and scored 1726 (average 31.4) runs with a highest score of 114 and took 17 wickets. He played 57 T20 matches and scored 1275 (average 28.3) runs with 92 not out as the highest score. He also took 11 wickets in the game’s shortest format.