Calcutta: Bengal off-spinner Ritam Kundu may don Railways colours in the ensuing season.

According to a source, Kundu — who has been performing superbly in the ongoing Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup for his employers Railways — should be on the Railways Ranji squad for the 2006-07 season.

Kundu has so far bagged 18 wickets in three matches and has been the Railways’ bowling mainstay in the absence of Kulamani Parida.

Kundu’s best performance came against the star-studded MRF outfit in the second match. He returned a 10-wicket match haul with six in the first innings. MRF, needing just 143 to win, fell to Kundu’s guile.

“It doesn’t matter whose wicket I take, my aim is to grab as many as possible,” Kundu said.

Ritam, who works for Metro Railway, got a call from the Railways for the Moin-ud-Dowlah meet along with stumper Abhijit Sikdar just a few days back.

“I don’t know yet whether I’ll get called for the Ranji squad, but I am hoping for the best,” Kundu told The Telegraph when contacted in Hyderabad on Monday.

According to the offie, who has played two first-class matches so far, playing Ranji Trophy is important, not the team he represents.

Former India allrounder and Railways captain Sanjay Bangar had told Kundu, during the inter-Railway meet in Benaras in March, that they are interested in him.

Railways coach Vinod Sharma even discussed his name in the team meeting during the Hyderabad meet.

Interestingly, there has also been speculation about Shib Shankar Paul, Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Sourashish Lahiri getting Railway call-ups.