Jamshedpur, Aug. 25: After remaining out of action during monsoon, it is time for cricketers to turn their arms at a four-day selection trial which begins at Keenan Stadium tomorrow.
Though the trials were conducted to select a team for a major outstation tournament, the selectors consider it as a lead-up to the rigorous domestic cricket season ahead. The Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) has invited 28 aspirants from the city and the districts for trials. The performance of the aspirants in the nets will determine their places in the team for the Moinudowla Cricket Tournament to be held in Hyderabad from September 2.
“Some of the aspirants have turned up while others from the districts are expected to arrive tomorrow. The team is likely to be announced on August 29, the day the squad leaves for the venue” an official said.
He added that most of the aspirants had represented Bihar in the junior and senior tournaments. Ranji and under-25 selection sub-committee chairman Ramesh Saxena said though the trials have been called to select the team for the coming outstation tourney, it would also “help us judge the abilities of players who could be included in the Ranji team this season”. The selection trials start the cricket season for Bihar.
Saxena, a former Test batsman who was also one of the selectors of the senior Indian team in the late ’80s, said the performance of cricketers in the outstation tournament would form the nucleus of the Bihar Ranji squad in the coming season.
“We are more concerned about the performance of the Ranji team, which has so far not lived up to expectations,” he said.
According to him, the Bihar outfit will also play the AP Aatre Invitation Cricket Tournament to be held in Mohali from September 18.
“We are trying to send the boys for more exposure tours. I am also trying to arrange some matches in New Delhi. If the matches are fixed, Bihar would reach Delhi after playing the Mohali tournament,” Saxena added.
The three-member selection sub-committee, comprising Saxena, former Bihar captain Subroto Das and Ranchi’s Chanchal Dutta Gupta would conduct the trials. “Since we have no time, we have limited the trials to four days,” he said.
