Abu Nechim Ahmed

Guwahati, Aug. 8: The Assam Cricket Association (ACA) today named a 15-member state squad with Mumbai Indians paceman Abu Nechim Ahmed as the skipper for the Buchi Babu All-India Invitation Tournament to be held in Chennai from August 11. The squad will leave tomorrow.

Though the ACA has signed up another Mumbai Indians batsman, R. Sathish, and a Royal Challengers left arm spinner, J. Syed Mohammad, and retained left hand bat Dheeraj Jadhav for the Ranji squad, none of the guest players figure in the squad for the summer tournament. Sathish is going to tie the nuptial knot in Chennai tomorrow and Mohammad is in Chennai, nursing finger injuries. Jadhav is playing in the English club league.

Sathish and Mohammad were here on Saturday to sign their contracts with the ACA.

Jadhav, a Maharashtra recruit, played for Assam in the last two seasons.

Tamil Nadu recruit Sathish played for Assam in 2003-04 when he scored his career best 204 not out against his home state in Guwahati to be taken back by Tamil Nadu the next season. Tamil Nadu under-19 player Mohammad will make his first class debut this season.

National Cricket Academy coach and last year’s Goa Ranji coach Rajesh Kamath, who is negotiating a Ranji assignment deal with the ACA, has been named coach for the Chennai squad.

“We are going to strike a deal with him in a couple of days,” said ACA secretary Bikash Baruah.

“He is an accomplished coach. I have met him earlier and I hope we will be very comfortable with him. He knows a lot and is very experienced. It will be a great help to have him with us in the squad,” said Ahmed. On his assignment as the captain, Ahmed said: “It is the first time I am going to lead the side. The squad is a balanced one with good bowling and batting line-ups. Let’s hope for a good show in the tournament ahead.”

He, however, admitted that the squad would miss the services of experienced spinner Arlen Konwar. “We cannot match him. He is so experienced and successful in all sorts of adverse situations,” Ahmed said.

Konwar and three others, Parvez Aziz, Shiv Shankar Roy and Ranjeet Mali, are attending the selection trials for their employers Railways in Delhi. In the absence of Konwar, Prakash Bhagat, Swarupam Purkayastha and Prasanta Sonowal have been named in the squad to man the spin department.

The Chennai tour is part of the summer exposure programme for the squad, which is also likely to tour Bangalore next month to participate in arranged matches against leading outfits like those of the NCA, Karnataka Ranji probables and others during a monthlong camp there.

“We look forward to a fruitful exposure season. The Bangalore tour, if it materialises, will also be very helpful in preparing ourselves for the Ranji season. We will get to play in away conditions against better rated sides which will help us develop temperament and build confidence,” Ahmed said.

The squad: Abu Nechim Ahmed (capt), Tarjinder Singh (vc), Kunal Sakia (wk), Pallav Das, Rishav Das, Amit Sinha, Abhijit Singha Roy, Gokul Sharma, Swarupam Purkayastha, Prakash Bhagat, Dhiraj Goswami, Roshan Basfore, Sujoy Tarafdar, Arup Das and Prasanta Sonowal.

Manager: Bishnu Ram Nunisa, coach: Rajesh Kamath.

Physio: Prasenjit Bhattacharyya, trainer: Nishant Thakur.