AHMEDABAD: In the past, teams have been known to ask the local cricket associations for left-arm seamers or leg-spinners of off-spinners for their nets. However, the plethora of left-handed batters at India’s disposal-their top three comprising Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma are all southpaws-presented a unique challenge to The Netherlands team, while preparing for its last league match of Group A against the tournament co-hosts at the Narendra Modi Stadium in the 2026 T20 World Cup.
With there being not a single left-hander in the Dutch batting line-up, the ‘Orange outfit’ requested Gujarat Cricket Association secretary Anil Patel to provide them with a left-hander whom their bowlers could practice against.
For the past two days here at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Gujarat’s
Ranji Trophy captain Manan Hingrajia-currently a bit ‘free’ since Gujarat were knocked out in the league stages of the Ranji Trophy- has been helping out at The Netherlands’ nets. With a view to practice against India’s marauding left-handers, Hingrajia was asked to go for his big shots straight away, and the 28-year-old left-hander duly obliged, unleashing some big hits during The Netherlands’ practice sessions at this sprawling venue .
“Yes, they wanted a left-handed batter to bowl to and they requested the GCA for the same, and I got a call from the GCA to come and bat at their nets. I very much enjoyed my experience batting against them and hitting sixes against them felt really good.
They treated me very well. They have a pretty good bowling attack. Some of the pace bowlers are very good,” Hingrajia told TOI on Tuesday.
Even as he’s yet to play T20 cricket for Gujarat, Hingrajia has played 31 first-class matches, in which he has scored 1748 runs at an average of 40.65, with four centuries and nine half-centuries. In the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, the 28-year-old scored 369 runs in seven matches at an average of 41.00, with one hundred and two fifties.
“The Dutch team’s liaison officer requested for a left handed batsman in the nets, as they don’t have left-handers. Manan is a talented batsman. In 2020, he received the BCCI’s ‘Best Batsman of the Year’ award from Virat Kohli after captaining Gujarat’s Under-23 team to the Col CK Nayudu Trophy (for Under-23) title in the 2018-19 season and finishing as the tournament’s highest run-getter, scoring 872 runs in 10 matches.
He also led us to the U-23 One-day title that season. He also played for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy last year, after scoring 603 runs in nine matches at an average of 46. 38 for Gujarat in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season,” Patel said.
“Manan hit some big sixes in the nets, practicing his range hitting,” said John, the media manager of the Dutch cricket team.
With Gujarat’s senior domestic season done and dusted – their Ranji Trophy campaign ended before the knockouts a fortnight ago – the GCA didn’t know if they could find anyone to turn up at a two-hour notice.
With India having as many as six left-handers in their top eight – Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh and Axar Patel-the training with Hingrajia will help The Netherlands’ bowlers a fair bit on Wednesday.
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