Why I Like Vineet Saxena.....

He is not flamboyant. He is not flashy. He is not stylish. He is not well known. He is not a great player either. But still I like him. That is Vineet Saxena, opening batsman of Rajasthan.

Vineet has been opening for Rajasthan for a long time now. He managed to hold on to his place when a major shake up was done couple of years back wherein many senior players were asked to leave and many promising but non performing youngsters were dropped.

Vineet plays as if his life depends on each innings he plays. And that is partially true as well. I always admired him for the effort and commitment he showed over the years. But only when I read Akash Chopra's book did I come to know the real story.

Vineet is jobless. He has lost his job. Now his only job is 'Opening Batsman of Rajasthan'. This is a part time job starting in November and ending in January. This 3 months earning is his yearly income. And hence he has to play the way he is playing. Or else he will lose his part time job as well.

Couple of years back he lost his only daughter. He came directly to a Ranji trophy match after her funeral. Every innings he plays he plays as if he won't be playing again. And that has resulted in his team getting good starts most of the times.

A team needs players like him, who play as if their life depends on every knock they play. Rajasthan were asked to follow-on nearly 400 runs behind in their first Ranji Trophy match this season. Vineet scored a dogged 99 and helped his team to save the match and thereby earn 1 point. At the end of round robin 3 teams tied on 16 points and Rajasthan scraped through on better run rate. That one point proved crucial.

In last year's Ranji trophy where Rajasthan were victorious, Vineet's contribution was very very vital. His knock in the final was top class.

This year again he has proved his worth. Just now he has completed a grand undefeated 250 in the final of Ranji Trophy. Again a knock when it mattered. No flamboyancy. No big talk. Just doing the work and earning his daily bread.

How I wish someone like him plays for Karnataka. Instead we have Uthappas and Satishs and Gautams who flatter to deceive.

Hope some corporate organisation offers him a decent job after his exploits in the domestic circuit. And I hope again that if he gets a decent job, he will still continue to play as if his life depends on it. As I have seen and observed money can change a player's performance on the field and interest in the game.

Good luck Vineet. Do well.