Goa's Ranji skipper Sagun Kamat felt like a blessed man on Friday. A day that gave the stylish left handed batsman his career best score - a triple at the age of 33 and a milestone that was never breached by a Goan cricketer until this day. No doubt, Sagun was candid in admitting that the momentus day remains his best in a first class career spanning 70 matches since his debut in 2000-01 season. The southpaw tells Sudhakar Shanbhag that his career-best 304* was an innings built on playing every ball on its mert.
Excerpts:
Q:What does this feat mean to you?
SK: Yes, obviously I worked hard for it. I am that I could contribute the way I did on the second day. The basic idea was to bat long and build a big score. I am happy that I played for the team and did my job. I would also lilke to say that it hurts when people say things when team doesn't do well.
Q: Were you consciously eyeing a triple once you were unbeaten on 177 overnnight?
SK: Actually, I wasn't thinking about the triple at all when play resumed on Friday morning. Yes, I was nearing a double when I started off at 177. But once the double was achieved, I just kept applying myself and got a really solid support from the bottom half. Shadab (Jakati) also chipped in with an unbeaten fifty and that helped the team's casue. The bottom line was that I went for small targets and played the ball on its merit. So it was like contributing drop by drop.
Q: This is the longest you've batted (662 minutes) in your Ranji career. Do you believe the triple ton has lifted your batting to a new level?
SK: I actually enjoyed every minute I spent at the crease and the triple eventually happend. I love my batting and that is what I worked upon, thanks to Hrishikesh Kanitkar, my ex-coach, who instilled belief in me last year and said that I had potential to play a long innings. I am happy for him, in a sense.
Q: Triple at a neutral venue. Does that make it more special as you play the dual role of a batsman and also as a skipper?
SK: As I said, obviously it's a great feeling to get to a triple. Playing at a neutral venue is tough. But when the team doesn't do well it becomes hard to handle the situation. I hope this trip has put us in a strong position with a score in excess of 600. Coming to the point of playing the dual role, I am giving my best as I have to do my job well both as a captain and a batsman.
Q: You led by example during the mammoth innings. Would it be right to say you are at the peak of your batting prowess?
SK: If you've followed my career graph, I think I have been doing well over the past four years in all formats of the game. I hope to keep contributing and serving my State to the best of my abilities. Obviously, my aim would be to score as many runs as possible and contribute more for a winning cause.
Q: A triple is a rear milestone. Do you believe it's a major yardstick to judge a batsman's calibre to get noticed?
SK: A milestone just happens. I think a good batsman would always want to score as many hundres as possible and if he can consistently build on such knocks and covert hundreds into doubles and then into triples, will certainly make him special.
