Dream debut: Tamil Nadu batter Pradosh Ranjan Paul slams ton to guide India A to first-innings lead

CHENNAI: It was a dream India ‘A’ debut for Pradosh Ranjan Paul in the first Unofficial Test against South Africa ‘A’. The 22-year-old from Tamil Nadu delivered a remarkable knock of 163 to help India ‘A’ bag the crucial first-innings lead.

Pradosh’s stunning performance is no flash in the pan. He smartly lived up to the talent he has shown consistently in the domestic circuit. During his 209-ball innings, Pradosh slammed 23 fours and a six at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Ahead of his debut, Pradosh told TOI that he would treat this game just like a normal league match and not put pressure on himself.

“I’m eager to perform and do well. It’s not every time that you get an opportunity to play for India ‘A’. But I’m not adding more pressure like I should perform extremely well. I feel if I do that I won’t be in a good mental space. So, I’ll approach this game just like another club game or domestic game. It doesn’t matter if I get runs or not. I just want to do my process and preparation right. The result is never in our hands so, I will accept whatever it is. If I get a chance and if I’m settled, I’ll definitely try to make a big one,” Pradosh said.

This was not the first national call-up for the southpaw. Earlier in July, Pradosh was picked for the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, but he never made it to the India ‘A’ playing XI. Thus, Pradosh didn’t expect another call-up. As soon as he found out he was part of the South Africa tour, he got down to business.

“I was in Mumbai for the Vijay Hazare Trophy when I found out I’m a part of the team. I started practising with both white-ball and red-ball. In one session I would completely bat with the red ball. And then during the team session, I would bat with the white ball. After coming here (South Africa), I was working more on short balls. Generally, everyone told me that the bounce will be a little different when compared to Indian pitches. There’s more bounce over here. So, I was preparing more for shorter balls and was doing more drills of back foot length,” said Pradosh, who also occasionally bowls off-spin.

With the IPL auctions around the corner, Pradosh is expected to find many bidders. “I was called for a few trials from teams like Mumbai Indians, but I couldn’t make it because I had domestic matches. I don’t have any expectations; I’m just focused on improving my game.”