Karan Lamba scores three centuries for Rajasthan in Ranji Trophy

Karan Lamba has scored three consecutive centuries in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season for Rajasthan, Sportstar reported. The 21-year-old batter from Hanumangarh has amassed 447 runs in three matches, strengthening his place in the side.

Karan Lamba’s story is less about the runs he has scored in recent weeks and more about the time he spent waiting for his turn. For two seasons, he watched from the sidelines, knowing that talent alone would not earn him a place in the side. He needed to get better, find ways to challenge himself and, above all, keep believing that another opportunity would come.

The Ranji Trophy is an annual domestic first-class cricket championship played in India. It is organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, and teams representing the various member associations of the BCCI take part in the tournament.

Lamba found his first cricketing inspiration much closer to home. It was his cousin, Abhimanyu Lamba, a former India under-19 fast bowler, who introduced him to the game. Abhimanyu, now settled in the United States, was someone the youngster admired and wanted to emulate. “I started playing cricket after watching him. I used to admire him and draw inspiration from him,” Lamba told Sportstar.

That early inspiration gradually turned into a serious pursuit. But the road to establishing himself in Rajasthan’s senior team was not straightforward. The two seasons without a Ranji Trophy appearance could easily have been a period of frustration.

Instead, Lamba treated them as an opportunity to work on the aspects of his game that needed attention. “It was difficult, but I had made up my mind to improve my game. I kept working hard and waited for my opportunity.

I wanted to be prepared whenever I got a chance,” he said.

There was no guarantee of when that opportunity would arrive. So, Lamba concentrated on what he could control. He wanted to become a better batter, but also one who could adjust to different conditions rather than depend on familiar surfaces.

“I worked really hard during the off-season. I used to practise on different kinds of wickets. I felt that playing on different wickets would give me a different perspective and help me in the future.

I put in a lot of effort during practice, and now I am getting the results,” he said.

His preparation went beyond the usual nets in Jaipur. Lamba travelled to Delhi to play matches and expose himself to different surfaces. He also arranged separate practice sessions for red-ball and white-ball cricket, while working on his strength and power through weight training.

The idea was to make his preparation as comprehensive as possible. With limited opportunities at the First-Class level, he could not afford to let his game stagnate. “Whenever I got selected, I couldn’t perform well in those opportunities.

I kept thinking about how I could put in more effort during practice so that I wouldn’t have to face the same situation again in the future. That’s how I have always looked at things,” the 21-year-old, said.

An important part of that process was the mental conditioning he received from Abhimanyu.

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Sources

• Sportstar

• Wikipedia: Ranji Trophy (background)