From representing the state’s Under-16 side to becoming Team Rajasthan’s senior statesman, Vineet Saxena’s journey is an inspirational tale of hard work, determination and persistence. The top-order batsman, who took his baby steps in cricket under the tutelage of former cricketer Sanjay Jagdale, evolved into a dependable batsman under coach Dinesh Jaiman in Rajasthan.
Vineet, who went past the 100-match mark in the Ranji Trophy in the 2015-16 season, has 116 first-class matches under his belt. It has been a long and winding road for the Rajasthan batsman who has amassed 6972 runs in the longest format of the game. The 35-year old credits former captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Aakash Chopra for their guidance which helped him better his cricket and become the solid batsman that he is today.
In an interview with
bcci.tv, Vineet spoke about the influence of his father, whose unconditional support through tough times helped him stay on course and pursue his dream. Now, the batsman is happy to share the experience and guide youngsters in the team.
Excerpts:
What has been the biggest high of your career so far?
I think winning the Ranji trophy twice has been the biggest career high. In the second year that we won, I scored 257 in the final against Tamil Nadu and in the semifinal, I scored 32 and 58 against Haryana in a very low scoring game. So getting runs in these two big games, I would say was the biggest high point of my career.
Can you recall the knock against Tamil Nadu?
I was determined and in good touch and just before the start of the game, the thought that came to my mind was that I won’t let it go once I get set. L Balaji bowled the first over of the match and conceded about 14-15 runs. The immediate thought that came to my mind was that everybody is nervous and probably this team looks more nervous than me, and then the butterflies in my stomach were gone. After sometime I thought that now that I am set, I won’t leave it from here. I told myself that if the bowler gets me out on a good ball then that’s fine, but I won’t let it go that easily.
Tell us about your journey from Indore to Udaipur and your initial career.
I started playing cricket in Indore in the eight standard. I used to go to the cricket club of Indore where Mr Sanjay Jagdale used to coach and I received my initial coaching from him. I was there for couple of years. Then my father got transferred to Udaipur and I started my coaching under Mr Dinesh Jaiman. He worked with me on the technique and skill part. Till date he has stood by me and guided me in the tough times.
When I shifted to Udaipur, I represented Rajasthan Under-16 in the same year and from there my journey at the national level started. I played in the Vijay Merchant Trophy and in the second year I got selected for the India Under-16 camp which was held in Hyderabad where the late Mr ML Jaisimha was the chief coach. Then in the next year, I got selected in Rajasthan’s Under-19 team and a year after that I played for India Under-19 against Sri Lanka. In the same year I made my Ranji Trophy debut; it wasn’t a great one but that was year that I thought that I can now take up cricket as a career. Years have gone by since and it has been a pleasant journey. There have been a few ups and downs which is part and parcel of the journey.
How have you seen Rajasthan progress? The highs and lows from plate league to winning the Ranji Trophy twice in a row.
When I made my debut in 1998 during those four-five years we had Ashish Kapoor as a professional and then it was Sanjeev Sharma. Those were the years when Rajasthan consistently qualified for the knock-outs. At that time Ranji Trophy was held on zonal basis and we used to qualify for the knockouts, but would lose in the pre-quarters or quarterfinals and didn’t move much further. Then a stage came when we got relegated to the plate group and played from there for maybe a couple of years. Then, at the time when we had Ajay Jadeja in the team we got promoted to elite group and then again for two-three years it was about surviving in the elite group and avoiding relegation. But we got relegated in 2009.
It was the same year when there was a lot of instability in the RCA ad-hoc committee and it was a tough time. Then again in 2010, we had three professionals Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Aakash Chopra and Rashmi Ranjan Parida and that was the year when the transformation actually came.
We had aimed to atleast get promoted to the elite group and we went on to win the Ranji Trophy. It was a very big turnaround for us. There was a great influence on all of us and we learnt a lot from them.
Next year, in 2011 also we started off badly. We lost the first five league games - conceding the first innings lead and again we were fighting to avoid relegation in the last two games. We lost the toss against Saurashtra on a green top, but I scored a century and we managed an outright win and avoided relegation. Then we won the last league game against Orissa with a bonus point and the results from other matches also were in our favour and we qualified for knockouts. We had the same intensity and self belief that we could win the title and we defended it. Those two were marvellous years.
Then Aakash bhai left and then again for another two years it was about avoiding relegation and we would end up finishing in the middle of the points table. There have been ups and downs. Then again in the last two years because of the situation with the association we couldn’t get enough practice and that was a very vulnerable situation for us. However, considering everything, we are doing a decent job at the moment.
Was having an experienced campaigner like Hrishikesh Kanitkar an advantage?
I would specially like to mention Hrishikesh Kanitkar, who has been a mentor for me and probably to all the batsmen in our side. While couple of us were experienced, there were quite a few youngsters in the side too and we learnt a lot from him. He guided us. Coaching from outside or in the nets is one thing, but when you get some suggestions or inputs on the field during a match from someone like Hrishikesh or Aakash, it helps. I learnt a lot from him and it has helped me grow as a batsman.
What was it like to open with Aakash Chopra?
Aakash was a very senior professional and a seasoned player so opening with him taught me a lot. When you are playing it is very important that you get some feedback from your partner because he is the best one to help you out in that moment.
If you are making some mistake or losing concentration and if a bowler is bowling well and you must play him carefully; such talks happen when you have a good partner at the other end. So these things happened with Aakash and we had some really big partnerships upfront.
Who has had the biggest influence in your life?
I would thank my parents and specially my father. He supported me throughout. My father was a mining engineer, so my mother wanted me to be an engineer or doctor or something like. I was good at studies but when you spend time on cricket you obviously miss study time. While my mother used to get very upset and worry that cricket can’t be a career, my father supported me and would tell her to let me do what I like; let me play. I had my ups and downs but I had no pressure from parents even when I wasn’t scoring runs.
When I played for U19, I got an offer from Railways, Western Railways and I worked there for six years in Mumbai. Eventually l left the job because my parents were in Udaipur and I was staying there and I had my personal issues. I played for Railways that time and Sanjay Bangar was the captain and he wanted me to play for Railways in 2005-06. After leaving the job when I came back to Rajasthan, I got a game or two and then I was dropped. That period when I did not play any cricket, had left my job it was a very tough time for me because before that I used to play regularly.
Nothing of this sort had happened to me and I was under a lot of stress. My father encouraged me to study and had me enrolled for a course called CFA. While doing that when I played for Rajasthan again in 2007-08, I scored about 600 runs in the league phase and was I think the sixth highest run-getter in the Ranji Trophy so things changed again. Cricket is what I loved the most, so I continued playing and also continued my studies. In 2009, I lost my father and that changed my life. Then there was lot of family pressure and my only source of income was cricket. I wasn’t able to pursue my course further, but by God’s grace in 2010, I got a job with the Indian postal department and in the same year, we won the Ranji Trophy. I have been doing well since then.
Who did you look up to as a cricketer?
My uncle, Subodh Saxena used to play for Madhya Pradesh so I learnt how to go about things from him and received my initial cricket tips from him. Also I used to admire Rahul Dravid a lot and followed him. Everybody has some talent and I think he was the one who maximised his talent with his hard work, grit, determination. I admired him and probably modelled my game on him. I want to become a cricketer like him.
How do you see your role now?
Rajat Bhatia has recently joined us, but there was no one else in the initial phase and with me being the senior player, the younger batsmen and players look up to me, seek my advice and suggestions. It is therefore a different challenge for me now and I am enjoying helping them. Nothing can be better than passing my knowledge and helping somebody become a better cricketer.
What is your message to the youngsters?
There is no shortcut to success. You have to work really hard, be disciplined and very determined. You have to be prepared to face the highs and lows because there will be tough times and you need not get disheartened. It is said that persistence pays so if you keep on working hard you will get results sooner than later.
