Virat Singh

Steel city’s stylish batsman Virat Singh (17) will lead Jharkhand in the zonal league of Vinoo Mankad Trophy (Under-19) one-day tournament to be held in Calcutta later this month, following in the footsteps of his elder brother Vishal (20).

With a bunch of talented boys at his disposal, the young southpaw is confident of a good show in the upcoming event.

The 15-member side, which was announced by Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) late on Thursday evening, left for Calcutta from the state capital on Friday.

“I am happy with the side. We have prepared well for the upcoming tournament. The camp in Ranchi as well as outstation tournaments have kept us in good form,” said Virat, before leaving for Calcutta.

Apart from Virat, the team comprises Pranay Kumar, Ishan Kishan, Kaushal Singh, Sheikh Md. Sharukh, Md. Nazim Siddique, Paras Singh, Anurag Sanjay, Sumit Kumar (wk), Prem Kumar, Monu Kumar Singh, Krishna Patel, A. Pawan Kumar, Gaurav Singh and Pratik Ranjan.

According to JSCA sources, all these players have the mettle to graduate to the senior level.

Jharkhand will open their campaign in the tournament against Tripura on October 23.

The second outing will be against hosts Bengal on October 24, while the third match will be against Assam on October 26. Virat and Co. will play their last match against Odisha on October 28.