City colts ready to face Nagaland

Deepankar Sharda
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 2

Currently in second position —with two wins and one draw— Chandigarh will be eager to register a big win over hosts Nagaland to climb to the top of the points table in Plate Group of the Ranji Trophy. The four-day match is scheduled to start tomorrow at Sovima cricket ground (Dimapur).

The Cricket Association of Pondicherry is on the top of the Plate Group with 21points, followed by Chandigarh (17 points) and Goa (16 points). In their last outing, Chandigarh had beaten Meghalaya by an innings and 189 runs at Mangaldai. Earlier, hosting Arunachal Pradesh, they had logged a win by an innings and 173 runs, before playing out a draw against Bihar at home.

In their last face-off against Nagaland, the city lads suffered a one-wicket defeat in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which was played at a neutral venue in Dehradun. But considering their current form, the city team is going to be the favourites this time.

The batsmen, including, Mohd Arslan Khan (284 runs), skipper Manan Vohra (265 runs) and Ankit Kaushik (265 runs), are in good touch. The bowling department, headed by seasoned left-arm spinner Gurinder Singh (20 wickets), along with pacers Shrestha Nirmohi (14 wickets) and Jaskarandeep Singh (13 wickets), have also done a fair job. The seasoned Bipul Sharma and Raman Bishnoi, who have supported the team whenever needed, will also be ready for a greater role in this tie. “There will be no change in the squad that played against Meghalaya. We are confident of winning this crucial tie to gain the top spot in the points table,” said one of the team’s spokesperson.

A tough opponent

After losing their last home tie, Nagaland will also be eyeing a comeback. The side suffered a 110-run defeat against Meghalaya in the only match they have hosted so far. While travelling, they defeated Sikkim by nine wickets in Bhubaneshwar and Manipur by an innings and 68 runs in Kolkata. They are placed at fourth position with 13 points. Nagaland, who were awarded affiliation by the BCCI in July 2018, had a miserable run in the 2018-19 season. They ended at seventh position in the Plate Group with two wins out of their eight games.

A lot will depend on their left-arm spinner Imliwati Lemtur, who has claimed 25 wickets in his last three matches. Former India player Stuart Binny, who posted 135 runs against Sikkim, will undergo a real test along with the other seasoned players Shrikant Mundhe and Yogesh Takawale.

Rongsen Jonathan, who made his First-Class debut with Railways in the 2013-14 season before coming back to Nagaland, will lead the team.