Former Karnataka captain C.M. Gautam has taken the lengthy and arduous route again to First-Class cricket. Gautam’s long-held want to put on the whites was fulfilled when he took the sector for Sebastianites Cricket and Athletic Membership in Sri Lanka’s Main League Event.
The wicketkeeper-batter performed two matches for the membership in June, earlier than returning to Bengaluru because the event was paused to accommodate the 2023 Lanka Premier League.
Gautam, 37, will fly to Sri Lanka on Wednesday to finish his Main League Event season.
A little bit over three years in the past, Gautam was amongst these chargesheeted in connection to corruption allegations within the 2019 Karnataka Premier League.
The case put a halt to Gautam’s profession. He final represented Karnataka in October 2019, in a Checklist A recreation in opposition to Goa.
In early 2022, issues appeared up for Gautam when the Karnataka Excessive Courtroom quashed the chargesheet. This cleared the way in which for his re-entry into official cricket.
Even throughout these powerful instances, Gautam held on to the dream.
“Even in my worst interval, I used to be motivated to get again to taking part in at a excessive stage. I had one thing to show,” Gautam advised Sportstar right here on Monday.
“The starvation to play cricket by no means went away. I visualised taking part in First-Class cricket, be it within the Ranji Trophy or elsewhere. I’ve performed matches for Financial institution of Baroda – I’ve saved in contact with the sport. Bodily I’m nonetheless in good condition. It feels nice to be again,” Gautam added.
On competing in Sri Lanka, Gautam mentioned, “The usual could be very excessive. It’s a problem to adapt to the brand new situations.”
Gautam was a standout performer throughout codecs in his 11-year profession with the Karnataka senior workforce. He usually rescued the aspect with stellar performances with the bat, and his clear wicketkeeping and rallying calls from behind the stumps made him an asset.
He struck a career-high unbeaten 264 in opposition to Maharashtra within the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy – a season the place he completed because the second highest run-scorer of the event. Gautam was an integral a part of the Karnataka workforce which twice gained three home titles in a single season (2013-14 and 2014-15).
These highlights could also be a decade outdated, however Gautam is assured that he nonetheless has a lot to supply.