HARARE, ZIMBABWE – March 03: Anshuman Rath of Hong Kong poses for a picture during the Hong Kong Portrait Session for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier at The Holiday Inn on March 3, 2018 in Harare, Zimbabwe. (Photo by Nigel Roddis – IDI/IDI via Getty Images)
Nagpur: Former Hong Kong cricket team skipper Anshuman Rath has registered as a local player for Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA). Rath will be eligible to play for the defending Ranji Trophy champions next year.
However, a 21-year-old Rath, who was playing under Mohammad Hafeez at the Global T20 Canada, needs to finish the one year cooling-off period to be eligible for selection and in the meantime, he has already started playing for MSSC in the A division.
In his first match in India, the wicket-keeper batsman scored an unbeaten 38 against Eleven Stars in the annual local T20 tournament of the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA).
He was one of the most successful cricketers for Hong Kong with an ODI average of 51.75 and during the Asia Cup match against India in 2018, Rath (73) and Nizakat Khan (92) had a dream opening partnership of 174 runs but it was not enough as their side ultimately lost the match by 26 runs.
While the result did not go their way, the match has a big impact on his career and Rath said in the interview that it was a reason behind him moving to India.
