The Hindu : Kale delighted

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 03, 2003

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Sport - Cricket

Kale delighted

HYDERABAD APRIL 2. Maharashtra's middle-order batsman Abhijit Kale is delighted.

"It is the best moment of my career. There is no greater honour than being selected to play for the country,'' was his reaction on being informed about his selection for the Dhaka triangular series cricket tournament.

The 29-year-old batsman is here to play for Plate `A' against Elite `C' in the four-day Duleep Trophy match commencing at the Gymkhana Grounds.

"Well, honestly, I didn't give any serious thought except for the plain fact that since some of the big guns are skipping the event, there could be an outside chance for me to be picked,'' Kale told `The Hindu', after a long batting stint in the `nets'. The dashing batsman with 24 first-class hundreds has been representing Maharashtra for the last nine years.

Looking back, Kale doesn't feel that the break had come a bit too late. "Well, there are certain things over which we don't have any control. My philosophy was to perform consistently and leave the rest to others,'' he said.

But the beaming face clearly reflected the immense joy he was trying to hide. "Definitely, I would try my best to rise to the occasion if given the chance. I would love to play my natural, attacking game,'' says Kale, a brilliant stroke-maker in domestic circuit.

"There was a definite disappointment after being ignored, despite scoring a century against Nasser Hussain's Englishmen in the three-day match at Jaipur last season,'' Kale recalled. "But, that's life, and I am quite used to that,'' he remarked. — Our Sports Reporter

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