Sanvir ready for the white-ball format

What do you do when wickets tumble in a hurry on the first morning of a Ranji Trophy encounter? Add to that, you’re searching for runs, having been out of the side and playing your first match of the season.

Simple. Walk out, negotiate the difficult period and help yourself to a double-century.

Punjab’s Sanvir Singh did precisely that against Andhra, his sensational 205 rescuing the host from 71 for five after 22.1 overs and laying the foundation for a mammoth total.

“It felt really good because this was my first match of the season. I came in at a crucial stage. Salil (Arora) and I batted through that session, and after that, we piled on the runs,” Sanvir told The Hindu in an exclusive interview.

With moisture making batting difficult initially, the duo chose patience over adventure. “We weren’t thinking about any target. We were just playing sessions,” he added.

As the surface baked under the afternoon sun, the moisture dried up, making batting easier, and the 30-year-old made the most of it on his way to a maiden double-hundred.

With the Ranji Trophy taking a two-month break, attention now shifts to white-ball cricket. Sanvir, who was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad setup in 2023 and 2024, felt that a few days of practice would be sufficient to adjust to the change in formats.

“I just want to enjoy my game and contribute to my team’s wins, in whatever format I play and for whichever team I play,” he said.