Tamil Nadu's batting ace Aparajith reaches historic milestone

CHENNAI: Baba Aparajith has cemented his place in the TNCA First Division League as one of the most prolific and consistent batters to play for the state. And that has been the case since his debut way back in 2010-11 season.

Starting his First Division red-ball career playing for Indian Bank, Aparajith quickly made an impact in his first season, scoring 451 runs in the seven innings he played. This early promise was only a glimpse of what was to come.

On Wednesday, the 30-year-old etched his name in Tamil Nadu cricket history by surpassing 10,000 runs in the TNCA First Division. He reached this milestone on the second day of the fifth-round match against Nelson SC in the ongoing season.

Currently part of the long-standing giant Jolly Rovers, Aparajith has donned the colours of Indian Bank, Vijay CC and Grand Slam over the course of his 14-long seasons in the competition.

In this journey, he has racked up 10,025 runs in the 133 matches he played with 50 fifties and 35 centuries. And just to throw in some stats to back up on the term “consistent”, the right-hand batter averages 50 or more in 13 out of the 14 seasons he played.

However, the seasoned batter is on the verge of making a move to Kerala for the next domestic season after playing first-class cricket for Tamil Nadu for more than a decade.

He has been an integral part of TNCA for quite some time and has been involved in multiple white-ball tournament victories for the state, be it winning the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2017 or the Syed Mushtaq Ali in 2021 and 2022.

His all-round capabilities earned him a spot in the India ‘A’ squad for the South Africa tour in 2021, but it was a rain-marred series ending in a stalemate with less chance for him to prove his mettle.

Even after being dropped from the Ranji team last year, he is still at his best even in the recently concluded TNPL, where he scored consistently for Chepauk Super Gillies.

As Aparajith eyes a new challenge in his career, his experience can prove to be useful for the Kerala team across formats with bat, ball and even as a potential leadership option.

Baba Aparajith First Division Stats

133- Matches Played

10,025- Total Runs scored

35- Centuries

50- Fifties

306*- Highest Individual score against Pistons

116.45- Highest Season Average (2018-19)

193- Total Wickets

8- Five-Wicket Haul

6/11- Best Figures (2022-23) against Vijay CC