Nayan Doshi hopes for second time lucky

Nayan Doshi: success at Surrey has led him back to India © Getty Images

Surrey's Nayan Doshi, the son of Dilip Doshi, will be returning to Saurashtra for the forthcoming Ranji Trophy season, after making a name for himself in the English County Championship.

Niranjan Shah, the secretary of the Saurashtra Cricket Association, confirmed this and added that Doshi was unable to play for them last season owing to an injury. Shah was confident that he would be an asset to the side, currently languishing in the Plate Group.

Doshi, who took after his father in bowling left-arm spin, played for Saurashtra in 2002-03 but struggled to make an impression with only 14 wickets in six games. But he hit the jackpot the following season, when he got a chance to play for Surrey.

Doshi was playing club cricket for Ealing when he got an offer from Surrey in June after the county lost its front-line spinners Saqlain Mushtaq and Ian Salisbury to injury. His entry into the side also had an Indian connection: Zaheer Khan, the Indian left-arm seamer, suffered a hamstring injury and was forced to end his brief stint, giving Doshi a chance to play in the first XI.

Doshi made a significant impact with 33 wickets in nine games, ending as their third highest wicket-taker, and helping them to third place in the Championship. The high point came in September that year when he snapped up 21 wickets in two successive games, against Lancashire and Sussex. He wasn't as effective in last season's Championship - bagging 21 wickets in 10 games - but was a huge hit in the Twenty20 tournament and ended as the highest wicket-taker with 17 wickets.

Unlike the previous occasion, when he was an unknown entity, Doshi will be accompanied with a lot more expectation this time around. Inevitable comparisons will be drawn with his father, who took 114 wickets in 33 Tests and was an important part of the Indian side in the early `80s. Whether he can replicate his success in England on Indian pitches and lift Saurashtra to the Elite Group, remains to be seen.