Meet Anand Rajan: Avesh Khan and Venkatesh Iyer’s Bowling Coach Who Helped Uttarakhand Reach Ranji Knock-Outs

In today’s batsman dominated cricket where we see 400 runs scored in a blink of an eye, bowlers are left with limited options; The batsmen win you games however, bowlers, win championships. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy knockout stages, Uttarakhand had reached the Quarter Finals, beating the likes of Orissa, Himachal Pradesh and Baroda. The major credit goes to the bowlers for taking their team pass the league stage and the man behind their success is Anand Rajan.

For the uninitiated, Anand Rajan is a well decorated ex-First Class cricketer who represented Madhya Pradesh. With almost a decade of experience, Rajan was a very well established cricketer during his time. His T20 record was as good as it could get, with an average of just 16.68 in 31 games, the speedster was picked for Deccan Chargers and subsequently Sunrisers Hyderabad. He hung up his shoes in 2014 and began a career in coaching.

So far, Anand Rajan has prospered extremely well. Working with the likes of Venkatesh Iyer and Avesh Khan who reside in the state of Madhya Pradesh itself, Rajan has entrenched himself as a fast bowling coach. At numerous occasions, Venkatesh Iyer has credited his success to Coach Rajan on live post-game interviews. During their spare time, Venkatesh Iyer and Avesh Khan work on-to-one with Coach Anand. Apart from them, upcoming fast bowler Rajan Chaudhary, who was picked by Royal Challenger’s Bangalore for 70 lakhs in the Mini Auction is also a disciple of Coach Anand.

I am very happy with the team’s (Uttarakhand) performance this season, especially the bowlers who have worked immensely hard and applied themselves so well. To see the bowler’s do well, it is one of the best views from a coach’s perspective.

Anand Rajan

Under Rajan’s guidance, Uttarakhand were able to perform exquisitely with the ball this season. Bowling out Baroda for just 85 and Himachal Pradesh for just 49, Uttarakhand’s bowlers paved the way for their team in numerous occasions.

Coach Anand Rajan also mentioned how working with the Uttarakhand team has given him the satisfaction as a coach but the fire still burns and is looking out for opportunities to challenge his coaching capabilities.