Dandy opener’s shock departure

By Paul Pickering
DANDENONG opener Kumar Sarna has walked away from the club and a Victorian rookie contract to return to India.
The Australian under-19 representative shocked his Panthers team-mates and coach Warren Ayres last week when he told them he would return to his birthplace of New Delhi for an extended break from the game.
Ayres said he had no idea his star opener was contemplating the “indefinite” holiday.
“It was a surprise to me,” Ayres said.
“He just told us last week that he wants a break from cricket.”
Sarna, 19, moved to Australia with his family when he was two years old, but has spent extended periods in India since.
He was on his second year of a rookie contract with the Bushrangers and has jeopardised that spot by asking for a release from Cricket Victoria.
“They were as bewildered by the decision as I was,” Ayres said after speaking with CV officials.
Sarna played in Dandenong’s 2006-07 premiership as a 17-year-old, winning the league’s Future Star Award in the same season.
He could not be contacted this week, but the club expects him to play cricket in India and possibly push for a contract in the lucrative Indian Premier League.
Sarna was openly disappointed with his form last summer and a lack of opportunities in the Under-19 World Cup in March.
He had averaged 18 runs in his five games with the Panthers this season.
When questioned about the impact Sarna’s departure would have on the team, Ayres was typically pragmatic.
“We’d obviously rather have him, but he wasn’t making too many runs, and you can’t make someone play if their heart’s not in it.”