"The idea was just to play for as long as possible"- Parth Bhut on his heroic hundred against Punjab in Ranji Trophy quarterfinal
Saurashtra left-arm spinner Parth Bhut was one of the many players in their squad who stood up in crunch situations and took the team to the Ranji Trophy title in the 2022/23 season.
In the absence of captain Jaydev Unadkat, who was with the Indian team in Bangladesh, Saurashtra expected Bhut to deliver runs down the order and he obliged, that too in an effort that will go down as one of the best individual performances this season.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, Parth Bhut opened up about his incredible hundred against Punjab in the quarterfinal when coming in at No.9. He explained his thought process during that knock and said:
"It was a very tough situation as we were 148/8. Me and Chetan had a small partnership and then me and Yuvraj had another crucial stand. The idea was just to play for as long as possible and add as many runs as possible to the total because it was important for us to get to a competitive total as it would help our bowlers have some extra cushion of runs."
Parth Bhut also spoke about the importance of bowlers contributing with the bat. He is confident that he can deliver consistently as an all-rounder and also praised other players like Chetan Sakariya and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja for always being handy with the bat. He added:
"I have been selected in the team as an all-rounder and we have a really strong lower-order. The fact that our bowlers can bat gives us much-needed balance and depth. Me, Chetan, Dharmandra bhai, we all try and contribute as much as we can with the bat as well."
Parth Bhut on playing in the IPL
Parth Bhut wasn't picked up in the IPL 2023 auction, but he definitely wants to have a crack at playing in arguably the biggest franchise T20 league in the world. The 25-year-old is hopeful that with time on his side, an opportunity to feature in the IPL will come soon.
"Definitely there is hope of playing in the IPL and that some team will call me. Wherever I get a chance I will try to perform to the best of my ability."
Bhut has played four T20s for Saurashtra in which he has picked up three wickets at a decent economy rate of 6.23. His all-round ability could be a huge bonus for teams if he continues to perform in white-ball cricket.