By Debayan Mukherjee
Kolkata, Dec 12 (IANS) A swashbuckling 233 not out on his Ranji Trophy debut, young Chandigarh opener Arslan Khan has now set his sights on finishing as the top-scorer at the end of the season to ensure his maiden double ton is not considered a flash in the pan.
Arslan, 20, took just 236 balls to notch up an unbeaten 233 at a strike rate of 98.72 with the help of 33 fours and four sixes, as the Manan Vohra-led Chandigarh thrashed Arunachal Pradesh by an innings and 173 runs in a Plate Group game at Chandigarh.
“I am really happy with the way I batted. I wanted a good start in the Ranji Trophy and I am glad I got that. The aim from here on is to make runs as much as I can and try and finish top of the charts in the run-getters’ list,” Arslan told IANS over phone on Thursday.
The left-hander has been in great form with 699 runs under his belt in the U-23 tournament prior to this, scoring five hundreds and two fifties in 11 matches.
“I have been feeling good about my batting lately and in the U-23 tournament I got runs too. So I was confident of doing well here,” said Arslan who played his junior cricket for Himachal Pradesh, also captaining their U-19 team before moving back to his hometown in Chandigarh.
“I did my schooling in Himachal. So I turned out for them,” said Arslan, a David Warner fan.
Asked about his aggressive style of batting, he said: “I love one day cricket. I can play in all three formats but I just feel I am more suited to 50-over cricket,” the opener added.
Breaking into the Indian team is a bridge too far for Arslan now but the rookie batsman is aiming to catch the selectors’ attention by consistently scoring runs and playing in the Duleep Trophy and for India ‘A’ in the coming years.
“I have to prove that this is not a one-off. I need to score runs on a consistent basis and break into the Duleep Trophy side and then India ‘A’,” he expressed.
–IANS
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