Why Swapnil Asnodkar is a country mile ahead of India's city-based cricketers

When the opening pair of Rajasthan Royals take the field the focus of the opponents are always distracted by the towering stature of Graeme Smith.

None take serious note of an equally dangerous but a short-stature batsman at the other end, Swapnil Asnodkar. This kind of ignorance  is nothing new to him. With the BCCI taking no interest in him just because he comes from a state (Goa) that is lesser known for cricket, he was not willing to be treated the same way by his opponents.

But his determination and passion to succeed, along with the strong backing of his captain Shane Warne, has enabled him to earn the attention he deserved with his back to back glorious performances for the Royals in the IPL, the most recent one being his quick half century against Bangalore Royal Challengers.

Born in Porvorim, Goa, the attacking opener, Asnodkar has been one of Goa's leading run-getters. The 2007-08 Ranji season was his best - he scored 640 runs at 71.11 with a personal best of 254 not out, against Railways. However, his feats went largely unrecognised, with Goa featuring regularly in the Plate League. He shot to prominence in the IPL, where his fearless style won the praise of his captain Shane Warne. A leading cricket website has already started finding similarities between his batting style and that of Sri Lanka’s dashing wicket-keeper batsman Romesh Kaluwitharana.