2. Setting Ranji Trophy on fire with the bat at the age of 36:
Arjun makes a miraculous comeback to professional cricket at the age of 36 years despite staying away from the sport for a decade. Arjun made a comeback to the sport as a player turning down his coach’s offer to become an assistant coach at the Hyderabad cricket team. His sensational performances with the bat in the Ranji Trophy 1996-97 powered Hyderabad to win the title thrillingly.
Towards the end, it is revealed that Arjun earned his maiden India call-up as he was included in the Indian squad for the following tour. In reality, Arjun’s character is an inspiration of Delhi batsman Raman Lamba. During the 1996-97 Ranji Trophy season, Lamba finished as the top-scorer of the tournament with 1034 runs at the age of 36. Only two batsmen scored 1000+ runs in that Ranji Trophy – Raman Lamba (1034) and Ajay Sharma (1033); both represented the same team.
Delhi were table-toppers in the Zonal round and also at the Super League stage; same as what was shown in the movie with Hyderabad instead of Delhi. Lamba’s professional career lasted until 1997-98 season when he breathes his last after getting hit on the head during a club match in Bangladesh. The fictional character Arjun passes away due to a heart issue which was aggravated after playing the Ranji Trophy.
