He was tipped to be the next big batter from Tamil Nadu, even before B Sai Sudharsan emerged on the scene. After scoring hundreds for a giggle in age-group cricket, he made a serene half-century on Ranji Trophy debut against Delhi in Chennai in 2019. But then Covid-19 hit and put his career on pause.
Four years on, Pradosh Ranjan Paul's career is in fast-forward. After his first full Ranji Trophy season in 2022-23, where he was Tamil Nadu's highest run-getter with 631 runs in nine innings at an average just under 55, he broke into the India A sides in first-class and List A cricket. On India A debut in Potchefstroom, the 23-year-old scored 163 off 209 balls against a South Africa A attack that included Dolphins swing bowler Eathan Bosch and Lions allrounder Evan Jones.
Paul had a skittish start with Siya Plaatjie hitting the outside edge near shoulder of the bat, but he responded with crisp back-foot punches and drives. He is particularly strong at driving and flicking on the front foot, but on a bouncy Senwes Park pitch, he adapted to the conditions and scored on the back foot. Even during the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, which preceded India A's tour of South Africa, Paul had trained with the red ball to fine-tune his back-foot game.
"I knew that there would be lots of bounce on the South Africa wickets compared to Indian pitches," Paul told ESPNcricinfo. "I was prepared and understood that there would be scoring options on the back foot - and not much on the front foot.
"I actually feel preparing with the red ball also helps my white-ball game. It was more or less the mindset shift for playing in South Africa. It's about choosing what shots you want to play and what not to play."
The left-handed Paul lined up Bryce Parson's left-arm fingerspin, jumping out of his crease and sweeping him flat and hard over the leg side. Paul's century gave India A the first-innings advantage after South Africa A had scored 319. During the tour, Paul also realised his dream of taking a picture with his idol Virat Kohli, who was with the senior team in South Africa.
"From my childhood, he [Kohli] has been my inspiration and I was lucky enough to talk to him and get some ideas from him," Paul said. "It was the first time I clicked a picture with him. I've always dreamt about it. I've had opportunities during NCA camps in Bangalore, but in my mind, I was always adamant that the first time I click a picture with him will be when I become his team-mate. So, it was emotional when I clicked that picture and spent time with him."
"To think that I've scored runs in some other country and conditions which I'm not used to, it gives me confidence." Paul on his India A tour of South Africa
The hundred in Potchefstroom, where there was both lateral movement and bounce for the quicks, has put Paul in a good space going into India A's home series against England Lions - and the Ranji Trophy - in more familiar conditions.
"To think that I've scored runs in some other country and conditions which I'm not used to, it gives me confidence," Paul says. "Definitely at the back of my mind, I will carry a lot of confidence from that 150 in South Africa, but then every match is like a new match. In every match, you face new challenges, and I'm not going to live in the past, but yes I will take confidence from that and just look forward to the upcoming games."
The confidence is a departure from his nervous approach during the early half of the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy season. After Paul didn't get a chance to bat against Hyderabad, he played a loose shot and fell for a duck in a tense chase against Andhra in Coimbatore. After Tamil Nadu suffered a heart-breaking eight-run defeat, he felt like he would never play for the state again.
"The Andhra game was a difficult one. I felt that was an eye-opener for me," Paul said." I choked in the crunch situation there; if I had a partnership with Washington [Sundar] we would have sealed the game, but I played a poor shot and I got out. Because of that shot, I played the next game as my last Ranji Trophy game. I felt like I was out of the team."
In the next game, though, Paul made a first-innings hundred in Delhi and followed up with a second-innings 169 in Mumbai. His knock helped Tamil Nadu avoid an innings defeat and salvage a point at the Brabourne Stadium.
"Yeah, it came in a difficult situation, but it was my first game in Mumbai through all age-group cricket and Ranji Trophy," Paul said. "The vibe at the Brabourne Stadium was great and I was taking it in. I wasn't focusing too much on the game - tactically I was focusing yes - but it was a great experience to bat there. So, I didn't think too much about the pressure and just wanted to enjoy playing at the CCI (Cricket Club of India)."
It was this passion that drove Paul into professional cricket. After his family moved from Odisha to Tiruppur, a textile-manufacturing town in Tamil Nadu, he enrolled at an academy run by V Ramesh Kumar, who is now a curator at Chepauk. Ramesh has been Paul's mentor since.
"My dad got transferred here to Tiruppur in 2012 and then I started my professional career here," Paul said. "My dad was a cricketer and he represented his university in Odisha. Being a sportsman, he understood me and gave me confidence since I started my professional career at 12. Even those days, I didn't regularly go to school and I used to train the whole day. He gave me the freedom to pursue my career and I'm always grateful to my parents for that.
"Ramesh sir has always looked after me and my cricket from those days. When I was new here [in TN], he was the one who guided me and my family at Tiruppur School of Cricket. After Covid, my TNPL and first-division cricket didn't go too well. Ramesh sir helped me get past it and he has always dreamt about me playing for the country at the highest level."
Paul averages 70.21 after 12 first-class games, and has played just four List A games so far, but insists he isn't a one-trick pony. During TNPL 2023, he played some inventive shots and his name was also called out during the accelerated round of the IPL 2024 auction, though he went unsold.
"Before Covid, I was honestly a better white-ball player than red-ball player," Paul said. "In age categories, I've got runs and I've just got a few games in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. It's about time and getting more experience. I heard talks behind me that: 'Oh! he's only a red-ball player' but I've got runs in age categories. However, one place where I am yet to prove myself is the TNPL, so I feel it's just a matter of time. It's a chance to learn my flaws in the T20 format. Last season, I had a good start with Chepauk [Super Gillies], but I couldn't finish it well.
"Your shots have to evolve. Cricket keeps evolving and I just can't be in my comfort zone because bowlers are also coming up with new ideas. You have to break those plans and ideas. For example, in the past people used to question you when you played the reverse-sweep or switch-hit. Now, I feel it's much needed and you see a lot of players playing it in red-ball cricket as well."
Paul is now a calming influence in the Tamil Nadu batting line-up. In the opening round of the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy, he got starts in both innings against Gujarat, but couldn't press on. He has another chance to impress the selectors when he comes up against the England Lions in Ahmedabad.