Considered quitting cricket two years ago: Goyat

Jayant Goyat is a 21-year-old seam-bowling all-rounder. He stands at 6’4”.

These are rare traits to have in a system historically deprived of seam-bowling all-rounders. At the Airforce Complex Ground in Palam on Wednesday, Goyat showcased his credentials by way of a robust performance for Services. In his 12th First Class appearance, Goyat, recruited by the Indian Airforce under the Agniveer scheme, claimed his maiden five-wicket haul.

After two wickets on Tuesday, he cleaned up the Delhi lower-order quickly on Wednesday, returning figures of 23.4-4-65-5. “It is a very good feeling to get my first fifer. The pitch is slow and flat. I put in extra effort and got the results,” the soft-spoken Goyat told reporters.

Goyat, an admirer of Jacques Kallis, considers bowling to be his stronger suit. But it was his batting that he was more invested in until a couple of years ago. When he was in the fray for India’s u-19 World Cup squad in 2024, it was owing to his returns with the willow. In an u-19 Challenger series in the build-up, the boy from Bhiwani remembers a century in a quarterfinal with fondness.

It was around that time that Goyat considered quitting cricket. A lean patch in one of the district-based tournaments in Haryana was the reason, but his father, Dr. Wazir Singh Goyat, persuaded him to persevere. The latter’s own experience — he was in Haryana’s Ranji squad during Kapil Dev’s final season — may have come to use.

“I hadn’t performed in 3-4 matches on the trot. I had decided midway into a game that I will quit cricket. He motivated me, and helped me get out of that slump,” said the youngster.