`It was tough to leave Mumbai, but I wasn`t getting enough chances`: Armaan

Mumbai’s top-order batsman Armaan Jaffer, who has decided to play for Pondicherry CA in the upcoming domestic season, wants to take motivation from Test cricketer Karun Nair’s inspiring story.

Nair, who scored a triple ton against England in Chennai in 2016, eventually fell out of favour with the selectors before toiling hard for Vidarbha (Ranji champions in 2024-25) to earn a Test recall after eight years for the Shubman Gill-led Indian team that will be playing five Tests in England starting at Leeds on June 20.

Jaffer, 26, the nephew of domestic stalwart and former Test opener Wasim Jaffer, revealed he decided to shift base after playing 15 first-class games for Mumbai, scoring 769 runs and three centuries.

“It was a tough decision to leave Mumbai, but I wasn’t getting enough chances. I was looking for better opportunities in both red-ball and white-ball cricket. My aim is to play for India and to achieve that I need to play maximum matches in the season. Hopefully, I’ll get that opportunity in Puducherry and prove myself,” Jaffer told mid-day over the phone from Sheffield in UK, where he is currently playing for Whiston Parish CC in the South Yorkshire League.

“I should’ve scored at least six to seven centuries [for Mumbai] in those 15 first-class games. But I still want to play for India and that’s why I have taken this decision. The next two years will be a make or break phase. Nowadays, people feel only IPL gets you noticed, but look how Karun Nair consistently performed in first-class matches and has been rewarded with a Test recall. He is my inspiration.”

This article first appeared on Mid Day