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| Deepak Gohain |
Guwahati, March 11: It was more than a dream come true for rookie left arm spinner Deepak Gohain when he got the message last evening that he was named in the East Zone squad for the Deodhar Trophy tournament to be held at Mohali from March 17.
It was more than a dream come true when I got the message from the Assam Cricket Association last evening. Though I have delivered in the opportunities I got in the Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, I was not expecting it so soon, Gohain told The Telegraph over phone from Dibrugarh today.
Gohain made his Ranji Trophy debut against Jharkhand at Dhanbad on November 29 last year where he accounted for three wickets. He also scalped two wickets against Maharashtra in a home match here from December 6 to 9 last year. He also made his Vijay Hazare Trophy debut against Jharkhand in Calcutta with a scalp of four for 16 on February 26. He returned with the figures of eight wickets from three matches, including one against Delhi in the quarter-finals on March 5.
The 19-year-old has joined the club of Rajesh Borah and Gautam Dutta from the state who were also named in zonal squads in their first class debut seasons. Top order bat Dheeraj Jadhav and pace spearhead Abu Nechim Ahmed are the others from Assam to be named in the East Zone squad led by Bengal wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha as the skipper. Assam skipper Gokul Sharma has been named a stand-by. East Zone will play West in the first semi-final on March 17.
I have always played my natural game. My coach Sushanta Chakraborty has always taught me to bowl the natural way I am comfortable with and so did our Ranji Trophy coach Rajesh Kamath and NCA spin expert V. Venkatram, who saw me bowling in the Vijay Hazare Trophy trials in Guwahati recently. I will prepare myself with the same mindset and try to perform better, Gohain, who is yet to undergo any formal NCA camp drill, said.
I owe my success in the Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy tournament matches to my senior teammates like Gokul Sharma, Jadhav, Abu Nechim and others who have never made me feel a junior and had always encouraged me on and off the field. I am confident for the Deodhar Trophy tournament too as Jadhav and Ahmed will be there, Gohain said.
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