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Much to the delight of cricket enthusiasts in Odisha, promising batter Subhranshu Senapati of the State Ranji team broke the jinx to be included in an Indian Premier League (IPL) team after a long hiatus. Mighty Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bought the talented youngster with his base price of Rs 20 lakh.
Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) sources said Subhranshu is arguably the best batsman in the team ranks. He is also a utility part time right arm medium pacer and tailor-made for the shorter version of the game.
“His decent performance in first class cricket has prompted MS Dhoni led CSK to buy the right-handed batsman and groom him for the future. He will be an asset for the team in the long run,” said an OCA official.
Under the guidance and leadership of Dhoni, Subhranshu will be in the best position to flourish as a top cricketer for the next level.
“Dhoni has the best talent scouting skills and he allows youngsters with potential to play with full freedom and express themselves creatively. He has nurtured a number of talents throughout his illustrious career. Subhranshu is very lucky to be included in the CSK team,” said cricket expert Sambit Mohapatra.
“It’s not only a good opportunity for Subhranshu, but also the development will inspire scores of other budding and established cricketers in the State to put in extra efforts in domestic cricket to be in the reckoning for the cash-rich league,” said Mohapatra.
Only two Odia players-- Biplab Samantray and Haladhar Das have so far played in the IPL as OCA nominees. However, Odia cricketer Pragyan Ojha and Abhishek Rout represented Hyderabad and Maharashtra cricket associations, respectively in the cash-rich league.
“Odia players are no doubt talented. But due to certain reasons like lack of mental toughness and exposure, they are often failing to translate their potential into consistent performance in various domestic level tournaments. This is why the talent scouts, selectors and franchises have turned a blind eye towards them,” said a former coach of the State team.
“There are flashes of brilliance, but most of the time Odia players are inconsistent. They perform in patches which are not enough to draw the attention of the selectors for their entry into the top bracket. Besides, the team should enter at least quarter-finals and semi-finals on a consistent basis for its players to be in the limelight. Somehow, Subhranshu broke the jinx by playing some brilliant innings consistently in domestic cricket and the result is there for all Odisha cricketers to draw inspiration from it,” he said.
