Forty years old, but still going strong, that’s Anustup Majumdar.
Not just that, the batter has been chosen as the best cricketer for the 2023-24 season by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and will be feted at the association’s annual awards function on Saturday.
In the twilight of his career, Anustup remains Bengal’s go-to batsman when the chips are down. Given the frequent collapses of the Bengal batting order, Anustup seems familiar with the immense responsibility he needs to shoulder, especially during Ranji Trophy games.
But the senior player, who has also played for India ‘A’ in the past, has no complaints. “I enjoy it quite a bit,” was how Anustup put it.
“I’ve seen many capable people not eager or willing to take responsibility, not just in cricket but in other fields too. They don’t want to take the blame. But I love taking responsibility.
“Pressure will always be there, but I don’t let thoughts of failure creep into my mind.”
Still, by far better in terms of technique than almost everyone else in the current Bengal batting group, Anustup is undecided about how much longer he wishes to continue. “But yeah, I wish to play for another year at least following this season,” he said.
Last season he was the highest run-getter for Bengal in both Ranji and the Vijay Hazare Trophy (510 and 319 runs, respectively). This time around too, Anustup will adopt the same model of giving “utmost priority to fitness and 100 per cent even in training sessions” as his work ethics boosts the Bengal
team management.
Having said that, the lack of young batsmen with standout performances worries him. “Manoj (Tiwary), Wriddhiman (Saha) and I have all come from the U-19 level. But at present, there are not enough good players in the U-19 team,” he said.
“Those who can push for a place in the senior squad, especially from the batting point of view, just aren’t there. Abishek Porel and Sudip Gharami have done well, but they still have some distance to cover. In fact, in our team, the opening combination is one area that has to be sorted.”
Anustup added: “Even performance-review meetings don’t really happen. At least I haven’t come across them at both senior and junior levels. Reviewing the last season, areas where we are lagging... these are necessary. Maybe infrastructure-wise, we need to effect gradual changes.”
Shami availability
There could be some relief for Anustup and his batting colleagues in the initial stage of the Ranji Trophy as Mohammed Shami will most likely feature in two matches for Bengal this season. The senior India pacer is still at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, working hard to get back to full-intensity bowling.
“In all probability, Shami will be playing our first two games. And if not so, it could be the second and third matches,” a CAB official said.
