Ex-Hong Kong skipper Anshuman Rath picked to represent Odisha in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Former Hong Kong captain Anshuman Rath has been picked by the Odisha state team to play in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in the 2021-22 season. Rath, who left Hong Kong with a hope to play for India at some point in the future, received his Team Odisha jersey on Thursday. Rath turned to social media to share the picture of his new kit and also thanked the Odisha Cricket Association for giving him the opportunity to represent his home state. 

'No looking back now'

"4 years and 6 months… it’s been a tough journey to say the least and would like to thank all the people who stuck by me during this difficult period. Would like to thank @cricketodisha for giving me an opportunity when others wouldn’t and can’t wait to get out there and do what I do best. No looking back now. We go up from here," Rath said after receiving his Odisha No. 29 shirt.

Although Rath holds an Indian passport, he was required by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to complete a year-long cooling-off period before he could become eligible to play under its jurisdiction. Rath has now completed all the formalities and is eligible to play the sport in India's domestic circuit. Rath became eligible to play in India in August this year. Notably, Rath has played 18 ODIs and 20 T20Is for Hong Kong between 2014 and 2019. 

Rath played his last ODI game against India in the 2018 Asia Cup, where he scored 73 runs off 97 balls against the country of his birth, thereby grabbing everyone's attention. Rath has scored a total of 736 runs in the 50-over format at an average of 52.57. The 23-year-old has scored 321 runs at an average of 18.88 in the shortest form of the game. Rath stepped down as captain of the Hong Kong national team in September 2019 and moved to India to fulfil his dream of playing for his home country at the international level. 

Image: AnshumanRath/Instagram