`Mentor' RP drives Gujarat

INDORE: If Gujarat hold the upper hand after restricting Mumbai out for 228 on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy final here at the Holkar Stadium, they must thank a former India left-arm pacer, popularly known as `RP' for it.
Rudra Pratap Singh, who in his younger days was an integral part of the Indian team -he played 14 Tests, 58 ODIs and 10 T20 Internationals before being sidelined for good -has been playing the role of a pace bowling `mentor' for Gujarat for the past two season now.
The 31-year-old certainly doesn't possess the same penetration which once made him a difficult customer to deal with, but is still good enough to provide the breakthroughs, as was visible on Tuesday, when he sent back Akhil Herdwadkar with a classic inswinging delivery, before getting Siddhesh Lad out hooking to a bouncer. `RP' had earlier taken nine wickets in the semis, providing the kind of support which made Jasprit Bumrah lethal in the second innings.
His bigger value, however, comes from the way he guides the young seamers of the team. The effect of this `guidance' was visible in the way Gujarat fought back after Mumbai went to lunch wellplaced at 97 for two. “At lunch, RP gave a `pep talk' to our pacers (Rush Kalaria and Chin tan Gaja), and it seems to have worked,“ said Gujarat batsman Manpreet Juneja.
The man from Rae Bareli has a special connection with Gujarat, since his wife belongs to the state, and he now spends a better part of the year in Ahmedabad. “You'll be surprised to know that even though he joined us as a professional, all he's taking home is the match fee. The best part is that he's gelled well with the team. It seems like he is one of our boys,“ said Gujarat coach Vijay Patel.
“He's been a mentor to our side, advising our fast bowlers from mid-on or midoff during a game. He now uses his experience in unleashing the many tricks up his sleeve. Because he has played at the highest level, he knows exactly what works and what doesn't, which has helped our pace bowlers a lot,“ Patel explained.