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Sunday, Jan 09, 2005

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Stars for one-day league

By Our Special Correspondent

DHARAMSHALA, JAN. 8. Nestling amidst the Dholadhar ranges of the Himalayas, the cricket stadium here is just the motivation for the players to raise the quality of their cricket.

One of the venues for the North Zone one-day league — Nadaun and Una are the other two — the Dharamshala Cricket Stadium, once it is completed, should rank among the prettiest in the world. The ambience is unmatched with snow-capped mountains forming a stunning backdrop to this dream project initiated by a young first-class cricketer from the region.

Anurag Thakur, 30, did not make waves as a cricketer for Himachal Pradesh but has earned admiration from the cricketing fraternity for his relentless efforts to create a modern structure which promises to dwarf the monstrous edifices in the zone, with the exception of the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali.

Excellent facilities here beckon the stars of Indian cricket from this zone to showcase their potential as the one-day league commences with three matches on the opening day. Delhi meets Jammu and Kashmir here, while Punjab and Haryana clash in a tough encounter at Una. In Sunday's third fixture, Himachal Pradesh plays Services at Nadaun.

Formidable Punjab

The availability of some international cricketers enhances the status of the tournament this season with Punjab, coached by former Pakistan leg-spinner Intikhab Alam, looking strong. The presence of Dinesh Mongia, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh gives the side a formidable look, not to forget Gagandeep Singh, who has made rapid strides in the last two years.

Incidentally, Harbhajan will figure in only the first two matches against Haryana and Delhi, while Yuvraj and Mongia will assist the team right through.

Difficult times for Delhi

Delhi, saddled with unending selection problems, will miss the services of Virender Sehwag, away in Melbourne for the Tsunami victims charity match but Ashish Nehra and Ajay Jadeja are expected to lift the morale of the side which missed qualifying for the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy.

"Delhi is going through difficult times but I have faith in the players. There's plenty of talent but it has to have a proper direction and that's what I've been aiming at,'' said Delhi coach Madan Lal. The team landed here with 16 players but the controversy regarding Kesar Choudhary was sorted out last night with the player being asked to return in the absence of any directions from the State selectors.

The Delhi selectors' action of excluding seniors like Aakash Chopra, Rahul Sanghvi, Sarandeep Singh, Vijay Dahiya and N.S. Negi from this team has not been accepted widely as a wise step. The inconsistency in the selection policies has once again left the team management in a confused state.

Team to watch

Haryana will be the team to watch with players like Ajay Ratra and Joginder Sharma eager to stake their claims. Joginder's outing in Bangladesh was encouraging but Ratra continues to languish for non-cricketing reasons.

Himachal Pradesh, with Sangram Singh's outstanding batting and Manvinder Bisla's professionalism as its forte, has done well to progress to the semifinal stage of the Ranji Trophy Plate group. It has the potential to pull off an upset.

Yashpal Singh, a product of Sonnet Club in Delhi, continues to be the torch-bearer for Services and his tremendous batting this season makes him one of the best in the zone, capable of taking on the established bowlers with élan.

Jammu and Kashmir makes up the numbers and one can hardly blame the players, who were herded to a shanty hotel here last night by its association. Credit to the players for working hard despite a callous state association which provides comfort only to its officials.

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