Gujarat forces cricketer Ramesh Powar to shelve retirement plans

Just when off-spinner Ramesh Powar was contemplating bidding goodbye to cricket, he has landed a player-cum-mentor's role with Gujarat

Just when off-spinner Ramesh Powar was contemplating bidding goodbye to cricket, he has landed a player-cum-mentor's role with Gujarat. No team had shown interest in hiring the services of the former India and Mumbai player after he quit Rajasthan a few months ago.


Ramesh Powar 

"I did not see any point in continuing with the game if I wasn't picked by any team for the forthcoming season. I wanted to continue playing cricket, but there was no point in waiting for a year and then trying again next season. I was in two minds after I left Rajasthan.

But, I was clear that I would not try too hard to get into any team. If I got a chance, I would play, else quit," Powar, who claimed six and 34 wickets in two Tests and 31 ODIs respectively, told mid-day yesterday.

Parthiv comes to rescue
Things took a positive turn when he spoke to good friend and Gujarat skipper Parthiv Patel. "I called up Parthiv and asked if Gujarat would want me. The state is familiar to me. I know a lot of people there and it is also quite close to Mumbai where I have a young family.

"Gujarat's wickets will also suit my bowling. They wanted someone like me to pass on the experience to their younger players. I was doing the same with Rajasthan last season," said Powar, who spent 14 first-class seasons with Mumbai before moving to Rajasthan.

He will only play four-day matches for Gujarat. "I like the longer format and I don't want to hold on to a place of a youngster in limited-overs matches," he said.

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