‘More centuries will follow when I get the first’ – Hemraj
Guyana Jaguars opener Chandrapaul Hemraj, who topped the Jaguar’s batting run chart during their unbeaten run this season without registering a century says he is not bothered about it and many will follow once he gets the first.
Hemraj’s breakout season saw him compiling 623 runs on the back of five half centuries, his being 90 which he scored against the Barbados Pride in the Jaguars’ ninth round encounter.
“I’m a bit disappointed not to score a century while getting so many starts, but I’m thankful for having a good tournament, and I know that whenever I score that hundred, more is going to follow,” the left-hander told Stabroek Sport.
The hallmark of his batting performances during the season was his ability to go over the infield with much success for someone barely into their second season as it relates to matches played.
“I tried to back myself by playing positive cricket,” Hemraj said of the philosophy he employed.
Quizzed about the upcoming Regional Super50 competition, the 24-year-old expressed the hope that he has done enough to gain selection for the shortened format of the sport where he will look to transfer his recent good batting form.
Hemraj, who started the season in the middle order, took up the opening duties after the failures of former West Indies opener Rajendra Chandrika and climbed his way to the top of Jaguars’ batting charts.
His numbers, when stacked up against batsmen across the region this season, saw him coming behind Devon Smith’s recordbreaking run of 1095 runs while he also trailed Denesh Ramdin (799), Shayne Moseley (643), and Shamarh Brooks (632).
Hemraj, after making his debut in 2012, had a pretty ordinary showing at the first-class level, only just compiling 223 from seven appearances which highlight his remarkable leap this season.
The bulky left-hander also presented a perfect foil for the more subdued Tagenarine Chanderpaul at the top of the order.