Ajay Sharma Breaks Patel’s Record

GWALIOR: Ajay Sharma has been doing just one thing since 1983--scoring runs, runs and more runs. The more he scores, the more hungry he feels. He himself does not know how many runs will satiate his appetite. Consistency makes him one of the most feared batsmen in domestic cricket.

The 33-year-old Ajay has just broken Brijesh Patel’s record of 26 Ranji hundreds, but craves for more. He has become the ninth batsman to complete 5,000 runs in this competi-tion and has seventh to mark five centuries in a season after Rusi Modi (1944-45), Brijesh Patel (1978-79), Amarjeet Kaypee (1990- 91), WV Raman (1991-92), Sachin Tendulkar (1994-95), M Sridhar (1995-96). He has also made 1,000 in a Ranji season during his long innings here.

Ajay is one of those batsmen who never lack motivation. He, however, is unsure, whether his amazing form--nine centuries in the past two seasons, including five in a row in the current one will help him regain his place in the national squad. He is not worried as long as he is scoring a hatful of runs.

It is not only runs but also the matches in which he makes them that separates him from the rest. Not many know that his first century came in the Ranji final, against Bombay at the Wankhede Stadium in 1984-85. His five successive hundreds this season came in big matches--128 vs Tamil Nadu, 220 not out vs Railways, 118 vs Baroda in super-league ties, 144 vs Maharashtra in the semi-final and then a three figure knock in the final against Mumbai in the day-night final, though his team, Delhi, lost.

Ajay deserved more than one Test. He made an impressive debut against the West Indies at Chepauk in 1987-88. He was involved in a vital 100-plus stand with Kapil Dev, but was never given another chance to perform in Tests. "I watched more Tests from outside than any other player," he once remarked in a lighter vein. He toured the West Indies, Sharjah, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Pakistan with Indian teams, but only to score in practice games and one-dayers.

He himself does not know why he was considered for one-dayers alone, for he has the temperament and strokes of a long-innings batsman. His impressive record in domestic cricket has proved that he has often delivered at the right time.

Ajay has it in him to adapt himself to various conditions. His attacking batting and left-arm spin make him every Captain’s first choice in one -day matches. His best in 31 one-day internationals came against Zimbabwe at Pune in early 1993, when he scored an unbeaten half-century and took three wickets. He was nominated Man-of-the-Match. He played his last one dayer against the West Indies in the Hero Cup in 1993. He says he is enjoying his cricket these days, but has not lost hope of staging a comeback.

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