After missing the entire 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, Tamil Nadu’s S. Ajith Ram returned to First-Class cricket this week, playing his first red-ball match in over 18 months.

The knee injury, sustained during the 2025 TNPL, did weigh on his mind before he eventually found his rhythm.

The left-arm spinner got it right in the second essay against Uttarakhand, claiming four wickets in Tamil Nadu’s thumping win.

“I did have a few initial nerves. Coming back after a long layoff, everything felt a bit new. But as the game progressed, I began regaining that feel,” Ajith Ram said at the MAC Stadium, two days ahead of the fixture against Railways.

The 28-year-old said he “could barely sleep for the first three months” before he started coping with the situation.

“Every athlete goes through a phase like this, where something disrupts your momentum just when you’re doing well. Initially, it was very tough. But once I accepted that this was the reality, my focus shifted to how I was going to make a comeback.”