Cycled 25 KM Everyday To Play Ranji Trophy | Ajay Rajput | Chaos To Clarity Podcast

About this episode

In this episode of Chaos To Clarity, Piyush Thacker sits down with Ajay Rajput, head coach at Mumbai Cricket Club (MCC) and former first-class cricketer for Madhya Pradesh. Ajay grew up in the Ordnance Factory colony in Khamariya, Jabalpur. He watched his elder brothers cycle 25 kilometres each way to the stadium because there was no other option. Then he started cycling too.

From that bicycle, he climbed every step of Indian cricket. Sports Hostel national champion in Class 8. Defeated Sachin Tendulkar's old school in the Coca Cola final at Eden Gardens, Calcutta. Madhya Pradesh under-16, under-19, under-23. Then a long wait at the Ranji door, taking 40 to 45 wickets a season in division cricket before the call finally came. After Ranji, he played league cricket in Skipton in England, took 60 to 70 wickets a season, and then Johannesburg, where as highest wicket taker in the league he ended up bowling to both the South African and Indian national teams (Virat Kohli included). Today he coaches at MCC under Jwala Singh, the academy that raised Prithvi Shaw and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Ajay's quietest insight is the most devastating in the conversation. After 45 wickets in a season and still being dropped from the Ranji squad, he went to Holkar Stadium and watched the match he was not selected for from the second stand. He says that chair taught him more than any coach ever did. Weeks later, the call came. Even today, when he visits the stadium as a coach, he goes back to that exact chair, has a cup of tea, and remembers. If you have ever felt like the work you are putting in is not being seen, this episode is for you.

----- ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS -----

[Final time TBD] How Ajay defines clarity today

----- CONNECT & EXPLORE -----

Ajay Rajput on Instagram: [ADD LINK] Ajay Rajput on Facebook: [ADD LINK] Mumbai Cricket Club (MCC), where Ajay is head coach: [ADD LINK] IBS Cricket Academy, Ujjain (Ajay visits monthly): [ADD LINK]

Piyush Thacker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/piyushthacker/ Thinkonic: https://thinkonic.com

🎙️ Chaos To Clarity, an Indian podcast exploring small enterprise journeys, real founder stories, and the messy road from chaos to clarity.

📅 New episodes every Thursday, 7 PM IST