Skills still sharp despite long lay-off: http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lakshmipathy-Balaji-c72130 – Cricket News Update
As he gears up to make a comeback to the national team, Indian medium-pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji has confirmed that despite having spent nearly 3 years out of the Indian squad, his skills have remained as sharp as ever.
“The long lay-off did not rust my skills in any way. It's been a competitive three years in IPL and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kumar-Shri-Ranjitsinhji-c71870 Trophy as well as some other first-class matches,” he said.
Balaji, 30, has long been considered a promising pace talent for India, but his career has been obstructed by a slew of unfortunate injuries, many of them career-threatening – these include a stress fracture he sustained during 2005, which relegated him
to the sidelines for up to 3 years.
The latest fitness concern was a grave knee injury which all but ended his career. The last match Balaji played for the Men in Blue was an ODI in Colombo against Sri Lanka, in February 2009, after which the knee injury forced him, once again, out of the
game.
However, the right-armer spent the years away from the national team busy in the domestic circuit, with his most prominent performances coming during the Indian Premier League T20 tournament.
Having previously played for the Chennai Super Kings franchise, Balaji eventually went on to join the Kolkata Knight Riders, and played a vital part in the team’s victory during the 2012 season, when the KKR were crowned the IPL champions.
Having claimed 10 scalps in 8 matches for the KKR, Balaji attracted the attention of the national selectors once again, and was subsequently named in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 World Twenty20, which
is due to be played during the later part of September in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758.
Expressing his pleasure at having been named in the national squad once again, the 30-year-old stated that he had been waiting for an opportunity for the past three years, and, if selected for the final XI, aimed to give it his all on the field.
“Every match is important. It's an honour to represent your country and I am looking forward to deliver 100 per cent on the day,” said the medium-pacer. “For past three years, ever day I would get up and tell myself that I have to play for the country.”
The first T20I of the 2-match series was washed out due to rain, but the second is scheduled to be played on September 11 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai .
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