Rajasthan cricket faces a tough test against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy opener this Sunday at Jaipur. Amidst ongoing administrative turmoil, captain Manav Suthar said, “The absence of regular bowlers will provide a golden opportunity for the youngsters to grab the chance and cement their place in the side.”
Manav Suthar and Sai Kishore
Jaipur: Rajasthan cricket is more in the news for its off-field activities these days rather than actual performance on the ground. With an ad-hoc body running the show for the last three years in the absence of a proper elected executive committee, cricket took a backseat. Finally Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) elections were conducted on Sept 29 but the Supreme Court stayed the declaration of the results, ordering that they be kept in a sealed cover pending further adjudication. Rajasthan’s newly-appointed captain Manav Suthar has a big responsibility to put all these things behind and inspire his teammates to perform to their best as they take on formidable Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy opener at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Sunday. The four-day Elite Group D fixture will be a big challenge for both the hosts as well as the visitors since most of the players are young and inexperienced. The two teams will face each other after a long gap of one-and-a-half decades. These two teams last met in the 2011-12 final in which Rajasthan won at the M A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Tamil Nadu skipper R Sai Kishore will hope to provide a strong start to the season with a better performance in the season-opener. Tamil Nadu received a big boost with India allrounder Washington Sundar joining the squad on Friday. With S Sai Sudharsan doing India ‘A’ duties, skipper R Sai Kishore will be hoping the other batters make the most of the depleted bowling attack of Rajasthan. Experienced pacers Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar and Aniket Choudhary and leg-spinner Rahul Chahar are missing from the squad either due to injuries or rehabilitation. Left-arm spinner Mahav will be hoping to make the most of limited resources in the bowling department to counter the strong TN batting line-up. “The absence of regular bowlers will provide a golden opportunity for the youngsters to grab the chance and cement their place in the side. They have the potential and that’s why they are selected. Testing their abilities against a solid team like TN will be a big lesson for them,” Manav told TOI after the end of a practice session on Saturday. Manav, who played three Test matches for Team India with exceptional success, is confident of putting up a fine show. “Our team also has experienced players like Mahipal Lomror (vice-captain) and left-arm spinner Ajay Kookna. Their presence will certainly help. Kartik Sharma and Mukul Choudhary also have IPL experience with them. We should do well,” said Manav, who captained the side in white ball cricket last season.
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The visitors also have several U-23 players in the squad. “We won the U-23 national title last season. The top performers have been given a chance in the senior side now. They will be eager to perform at this level too,” Sai Kishore told reporters on the eve of the match. Squads Rajasthan: Manav Suthar (captain), Mahipal Lomror (vice-captain), Rohan Rajbar, Sachin Yadav, Sumit Godara, Kartik Sharma, Karan Lamba, Anshul Gadhwal, Mukul Choudhary (WK), Ajay Kookna, Aakash Singh, Chetan Sharma, Hemant Choudhary, Danish Bhamboo, Darshan Jain (WK). Tamil Nadu: R Sai Kishore (captain), C Andre Siddarth, N Jagadeesan, G Ajitesh, B Indrajith, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Nidhish S Rajagopal, SR Athish, R Vimal Khumar, S Ajith Ram, J Hemchudeshan, P Saravana Kumar, R Sonu Yadav, Esakkimuthu, D Deepesh, G Govinth, Washington Sundar.