Nellai Royal Kings prodigy Ajitesh dreams of playing IPL after having breakthrough TNPL 2023 season

Ajitesh returns to the TNPL, the league where his career all started. Additionally, he visits the SNR College Ground in Coimbatore, which is where he first learned to call home. Nevertheless, he is accustomed to facing the Lyca Kovai Kings, the home team. As the next generation of the nation took guard, the large throng applauded his every action.

With eight blows out of the ground and 112 runs in just 60 balls, Ajitesh had his historic moment. He puts on a show that will go down in history, and it is instantly hailed as the most memorable knock in the TNPL's seven-year existence. He finished on the right side during the last-ball thriller despite a regrettable run-out.

“Play according to the situation”: Ajitesh

In a lighthearted but equally deep conversation with Sportskeeda, he firmly rejects the cliche in a few brief lines. Ajitesh said, “I just try to enjoy the game and not take a lot of pressure. As you take the pressure, you start to get hard on yourself and start to think too much. Eventually, it won’t be good for you. It’s very important to have fun and play according to the situation. There’s no such thing as the big stage, and it’s just how you execute your role at that point in time. That’s how I look at it. Have a good bunch of boys playing around you and enjoy the game.”

Ajitesh, like every other aspiring cricketer, has larger fish to fry in the meanwhile. Even though it wasn't going to happen during the IPL 2023 auction, a few paddles being raised in 2024 won't come as a shock. The youngster has his sights set on the ultimate aim, of course, which is to play international cricket alongside the Men in Blue, in addition to the IPL.

He said, “There’s no pressure as such. It’s the IPL, and I’d love to play for any team. My goal is to play for India, there is no doubt about that. But I want to take things slowly, first do well in the TNPL and then take what comes my way without looking too far ahead. Getting these small things right and ticking the small boxes is my process."