At 34, Rajat Paliwal knows all about the anonymity of domestic cricket. The Services skipper has been the mainstay in his team’s batting unit for over a decade, but the closest he has come to national recognition was when he played for India-A in a four-day clash against West Indies-A in 2013.

Undeterred, Paliwal, who made his Ranji Trophy debut in the 2011-12 season, continues to churn out runs for Services at an average above 40. His latest contribution was an unbeaten 111 against Delhi at the Airforce Complex Ground in Palam on Monday.

When there is little incentive to keep going through the domestic grind, Paliwal takes inspiration from Paras Dogra’s journey. Dogra, 41, had also spent many years in the shadow for teams like Himachal Pradesh and Pondicherry, but finally had his moment in the sun when he led Jammu & Kashmir to a historic Ranji title last season.

“I look at Paras bhai. He has crossed 40. He has been consistently persistent, and won the Ranji title last season. His success after so much hard work makes me also feel good. It does act as a motivation,” Paliwal said on Monday.

Curiously, Paliwal went through his entire innings on day one without the manual scoreboard reflecting his runs. It was an instruction that the Services skipper had passed on to the scoreboard operator.

“I don’t like to take my focus away by knowing my score. I like to keep my concentration on the pitch. I got to know I am nearing a century when Delhi brought the fielders in. It has been my habit post-Covid to not have my score visible,” he said.