Saurabh Tiwary. File picture

Jamshedpur, May 3: Star batsman Saurabh Tiwary will lead an 18-member state squad in the 28th All India Uttaranchal Gold Cup Cricket Tournament to be held in Dehradun from May 8 to 16.

The outfit, which will leave for the venue tomorrow, is a perfect mix of youth and experience. Jharkhand is expected to put up a good show in the tourney, thanks to Saurabh’s brilliant performance in IPL 3. He also captained Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy and was the East Zone skipper in Duleep Trophy.

The team announced by Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) secretary Rajesh Verma also includes Siddharth Raj Sinha, Sachin Prasad, Rameez Nemat, Ishank Jaggi, Kumar Deobrat, Babul, Pappu Kumar Singh, S.P. Gautam, Shahbaz Nadeem, Kundan Singh, Kuldeep Sharma, Yajuvendra Krishnatry, Ajit Dwivedi, Hasnain Akhtar, Keshav Kumar, Asif Fahad and Mihir Diwakar.

Saurabh can look forward to fruitful contribution from the likes of opener Siddharth, the talented Sachin, Rameez, Ishank Jaggi, SP Gautam, Babul and a couple of others who have the capability to rise to the occasion in crunch situations.

“We’ve formed a strong outfit and are expecting a positive outcome,” said JSCA secretary Verma.

He added that most of the boys were in good form and expected to come up with a solid show during the tournament.

Jaggi, a former skipper of the state Under-19 outfit who was also part of the Indian colt squad for a tournament in Australia last year, had been woefully out of touch during the four-day Ranji matches in the last season.

The youngster, who, along with Saurabh, is considered to make rapid progress in the game, would like to use the Dehradun tour as a platform to get back to form. “He is a good batsman. Jaggi went through a bad patch, but such situations are part and parcel of the game. I am sure he will come up with good scores in the upcoming matches,” a JSCA coach said.

Medium-pacers Kuldeep, the seasoned Mihir Diwakar and Yajuvendra will handle Jharkhand’s bowling department.

Shahbaz Nadeem, also an experienced campaigner, is expected to play a leading role in the spin section.