Anshuman Rath, having quit Hong Kong cricket to pursue his dream of playing for India, could well feature in Vidarbha's line-up during the next first-class season in the country.
Holding roots in Odisha, Rath has had talks with VCA vice-president Prashant Vaidya about the procedure but he wasn't given any assurances of a place in the Ranji team.
"The VCA has spoken to Saba Karim (BCCI's general manager) about my road map, and all indications are that they are the team I'm most likely to turn up for, provided I put in the hard yards in club cricket and show them performance," the 21-year-old left-hand batsman himself told TOI on Friday (September 13).
Read Also: Anshuman Rath quits Hong Kong cricket to pursue career in India
However, Rath realises it wouldn't be easy to break into a Vidarbha side that has won back-to-back Ranji Trophy titles and has a very strong pipe-line of talent coming through these days.
"They have been very professional. They have won the Ranji Trophy for two years in a row now, and they have a credible reputation. The amount of talent there is in India, it's easy for state sides to overlook me, but the VCA have been very transparent and supportive," he said.
"Their message is: 'The door is open', but I have to do whatever I can to put myself up for selection. I'm not going to be put on a pedestal. At the end of the day, if you're scoring runs, you will be picked. Hopefully, I can do that. They've kept me in hi the loop with everything, and about the club system there. The facilities are top notch and I'm looking forward to it."
One VCA source also confirmed the development but said "there is nothing on dotted line" yet.
"Anyone can play local cricket here but one has to perform to get into the team. We have strong bench strength. Several U-23 and U-19 players are knocking the doors of the senior team," the source told TOI.
"He will have to do extremely well here to be selected. We can't give guarantee to anyone. We also receive request from several known domestic names every year."
Rath struck a valiant 97-ball 83 against India in the Asia Cup last year. He played 18 ODIs and 21 T20Is for Hong Kong.
(Inputs from TOI)
