I want to do well in Ranji: Aparajith

Aparajith, playing his second match in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, had scored 118 off 63 balls in his first game against Karaikudi Kaalai and immediately left to play in the Duleep Trophy. When he came back for his second game almost after two weeks, Aparajith sizzled with the bat again scoring a fluent 91 off 54 balls. Aparajith said the shift from four-day cricket to the slam-bang version wasn’t a difficult one. “We are professionals and the demands of the game need us to be on the money. It is not a difficult task switching gears,” the 22-year-old said. The batsman said a fruitful upcoming firstclass season would hold the key in his endeavours. “I am not discounting the two TNPL innings but I feel I need to play well and perform my best in the first class season. The Ranji Trophy is coming up and I want to do well,” Aparajith added. Aparajith struck nine fours and four sixes in his match-winning innings and said the intent was on rotating the strike too. “It was very hot and it was important to stay hydrated. I wanted to go after the bad balls and at the same time, I wanted to get off strike by taking singles off good balls too,” he added. On playing against his brother, Aparajith said: “It was nice to be on the opposite side. We are professionals and playing quality cricket is the key.”