Parvez Aziz. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

Assam Ranji Trophy opener Parvez Aziz, who has been named in the India under-19 squad for the third Test against England in Jamshedpur from February 2 to 5, today said he would now ?play hard? to be in the one-day team against the visitors next month.

Exuding confidence before leaving for Jamshedpur, the teenager from NF Railway said, ?Better late than never. I have finally got an opportunity which, I am confident, I?ll be able to capitalise on.? He has been troubled by a lower back injury in the recent past.

Before Aziz, Gautam Hazarika, Amal Das (Jr), Rajesh Bora, Zaved Zaman, Gautam Dutta and Khanin Saikia had represented the country in under-19 teams.

?I was expecting a berth last year itself but was disappointed at the last moment. My performance at the trials was not taken into consideration. But this time, my performance in the Ranji Trophy tournament and the presence of our own coach, Kamal Das, in the selection committee has definitely helped me a lot. My efforts were noticed and I was selected,? he said.

Das and Assam Cricket Association (ACA) secretary Bikash Baruah attended the selection committee meeting in Calcutta on Friday.

The southpaw, who is also a part-time spinner, has been in peak form. He is also one of the few successful Assam batsmen in the Ranji Trophy.

He scored 74 in his debut Ranji match against Baroda here in November and another 59 against Uttar Pradesh in Kanpur. In the East Zone one-day tourney, Aziz scored 31 and took a wicket against Orissa.

In the under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy, Aziz was in sublime form during the elite group ties in Pune. He scored 56 and 57 against Bengal, 89 and 54 against Himachal Pradesh and 66 against Vidarbha in the tournament.

In the local club tournaments, too, Aziz has been one of the outstanding players. He plays for Santipur Athletic Club here.

In the recently concluded Bud challenge club meet, perhaps the best organised in the state, he scored a swashbuckling century in the final and was adjudged man of the match.

If Aziz manages to book a berth in the one-day team, he will be a major attraction when India play England in two one-day internationals at Nehru Stadium here on February 11 and 12.