Sport - Cricket

Amarjeet Kaypee’s amazing story

Amarjeet Kaypee.

PALAKKAD: He was the lord of batting in Ranji Trophy. Amarjeet Kaypee scored 7,623 runs and 27 hundreds in India’s premier domestic competition before he retired in 2000. His record as the highest run-getter remains intact, but he never played for India.

“Yes, that would remain a regret, as representing India was always a dream for me,” Kaypee, now the coach of Haryana, told The Hindu here on Monday. “I don’t know why I never was considered by the selectors despite scoring heavily and consistently for so many years.” The former Haryana captain said he wasn’t included in the Duleep Trophy often enough though he was one of the top batsmen in the North Zone.

“Duleep Trophy was a major platform for a player to get noticed by the National selectors those days as there was no Challenger Trophy.”

Kaypee’s best chance to make the Indian Test team came when he was picked in the North Zone squad against the touring West Indies in 1987-88.

“But in that match played at Pune, I was sent in the late middle-order and had hardly the time to make an impression; I scored 33 not out,” he recalled.

When he played cricket, first for Punjab before moving to Haryana, there wasn’t this much glamour in the sport, and certainly not this much money.

“When I played my first Ranji match, in 1980-81, I got Rs. 30 per day as allowance,” he smiled. “And when I played my last match, the daily allowance was Rs. 2,000. Now a Ranji player gets Rs. 30,000 per day.”

Kaypee said he was enjoying his stint as a coach. “I took charge of Haryana this season and my target is to take the team to the Plate final. This young side certainly has the potential to do that.” He said he was impressed with the new crop of young Indian players.

“Rohit Sharma looks the best bet to me. And I feel Gautam Gambhir has improved incredibly.”

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