‘I have nothing to lose’

Rony Talukdar's comeback story can surely serve as encouragement to those who feel that the doors to the national side are permanently closed to players past the age of 30 that have yet to truly make a mark on the international stage. The 32-year old made a comeback to the T20I side after eight years and made the opportunity count by providing some flying starts in the historic whitewash series win over world champions England. The cricketer from Narayanganj spoke to The Daily Star's Mazhar Uddin about his experiences and ups-and-downs during an exclusive interview. The excerpts are below:

The Daily Star (DS): How did you manage to maintain focus during those eight years after being dropped following your T20I debut?

RT: It's obviously a long time but I would say that every player goes through ups and downs in their career. In my case, that happened at the very beginning. But I got mental support from my family and that inspired me to work hard. I should also admit that I had few lackings as a batter and I had to accept that.

DS: What areas of your batting did you work on and did you plan to make a comeback to the national team through T20Is?

RT: Since I live in Narayanganj, I practice at our Knit Concern Cricket Academy. I worked specifically for the formats that I was going to play such as the National Cricket League, Bangladesh Cricket League, Bangladesh Premier League or even Dhaka Premier League. I had proper training facilities at the academy and that also helped me a lot to work on my game.

DS: You provided some flying starts for Bangladesh against England as an opener. Can you elaborate on the message the team management gave you?

RT: Our captain Shakib bhai and coach definitely supported me a lot. They told me to play the way I did in the BPL. I was told to express myself like I had done in domestic cricket. The selectors also backed me and told me not think about anything else.

DS: Did you feel any difference between when you made your debut back in 2015 and now?

RT: There was not much difference since the environment in the national team is always healthy and friendly. Everyone is eager to do something for the country and it was same when I played eight years ago. From the game's point of view, yes things have changed. Everyone now has an aggressive mindset. There was no pressure on the players.

DS: You faced the likes of Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes on your international comeback. Do you feel facing the world champions helped you in a way?

RT: To be honest, yes. As you mentioned, they all are world-class bowlers and whatever I did would boost my confidence in the coming days. After I got dismissed by Archer, Chandika Hthurusingha asked me how it felt to face a bowler like him. I replied that it was fine and that I tried to play my own game and focus on the ball, not the bowler.

DS: What is your message to other players like you, who may feel like their time is past?

RT: The only thing I can say is keep your fitness levels high. When a player is fit, age doesn't matter. Shoaib Malik, who played with us in the BPL, is 42 years old and he is still playing T20s across the world. If he can play at this age, why can't we? Since the selectors are emphasising performances and picked me, anyone else can do the same. I have nothing to lose and I will continue to flourish without thinking of anything else.