Hubli, Feb 25 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir batter Shubham Pundir revealed that his goal was to make the best use of the opportunity and bat as long as possible after he scored a historic century against Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy Final at the Hubli Cricket Ground.
Pundir etched his name in the history books as he became the first Jammu and Kashmir player to hit a century in the Ranji Trophy Final. He completed his hundred off 186 deliveries and also forged a 139-run partnership with opener Yawer Hassan, who scored 88 runs.
“Right now, to be honest, it hasn’t fully sunk in. But it’s a special moment. I never thought I would score a century in a final like this. Opportunities like this don’t come again and again. My only aim was to enjoy the moment and bat for as long as possible. That was my target; to stay at the crease as long as I could,” Pundir said in a video released by the BCCI Domestic on Wednesday.
The Jammu and Kashmir’s star also explained the reason behind changing his gears after 90 and completing the hundred with a six. “There was no pressure, there’s actually a story behind it. When I played U-19, I got out on 96, I had played out 4-5 maidens, and I got out on 96 so my thinking since then has been to get to a century as soon as possible when you are in the 90s,” he explained.
Pundir also spoke about his strategy which helped him tackle the early seam movement available to Karnataka’s experienced bowlers.
“My only thought was to play as close to my body as possible, especially leaving balls outside off stump. That was the plan, to play straight as much as I could. I think I hit a straight drive early on, which gave me confidence. So the focus was to keep playing straight and stay disciplined,” he said.
Pundir got out at the start of the second day as he was trapped by Vidyadhar Patil and was caught at mid-wicket. He scored 121 runs and hammered 12 fours and two sixes during his stay at the crease.
–IANS
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