DHARAMSHALA: It has been a long journey for Rajinder Singh Hans. His portly figure is in sharp contrast to the athletic left-arm spinner that he was when he bowled to Gundappa Visvanath in a Ranji Trophy final 28 years ago.

``It was a nightmare,'' the affable Hans still shudders. Visvanath produced an aesthetic 247 even as Hans claimed nine wickets at Mohan Nagar. For the record, Karnataka routed Uttar Pradesh by an innings.

Time flew and Hans drifted into coaching after retiring from active cricket. Still Ranji Trophy remained elusive. But the nightmare was transformed into a pleasant dream last year when Uttar Pradesh won the Ranji Trophy for the first time ever. And Hans's association with cricket destiny continued, this time as the coach of the team.

``I could at least touch the trophy and feel the joy and warmth of the triumph,'' he sounded emotional.

Formidable outfit

From an obscure spot in Indian cricket Uttar Pradesh has grown into a powerful team, contributing enviable talent at various grades. From skipper Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, Rudra Pratap Singh and Piyush Chawla in the seniors to Tanmay Srivastava, Shivkant Shukla and, Ravikant Shukla in the juniors, the list has grown with every season.

``Our team takes immense pride in its achievements and there is no greater motivation than looking to win another match,'' said Kaif.

Uttar Pradesh offers quality competition as it prepares to take on Sialkot, the champion first-class team from Pakistan, in a four-day match at the Cricket Stadium here. The teams will vie for the Nissar Trophy, in memory of one of the fastest bowlers to have played for India.

Ideal opportunity

For the Sialkot players, coached by former Test batsman Azmat Rana, the serene surroundings and the grassy pitch should motivate enough to give their best. Shoaib Malik, skipper Imran Nazir and Mohammad Asif would be expected to give U.P. concern. ``It is a good concept and opportunity for us to press our claims. I expect the match to be very competitive,'' said the Sialkot skipper.

It should be a keen contest and cricket fans can follow the action live on DD Sports.

The teams (from): Uttar Pradesh: Mohammad Kaif (capt.), Rizwan Shamshad, Rohit Prakash, Gyanendra Pandey, Suresh Raina, Piyush Chawla, Jyoti Yadav, A.W. Zaidi, Shivakant Shukla, Ravikant Shukla, Praveen kumar, R.P. Singh, Mohammad Amir Khan, Avinash Yadav and Salabh Srivastava.

Sialkot: Imran Nazir (capt.), Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Asif, Atiq-ur-Rehman, Asif Khalid, Abdul Rehman, Mansoor Amzad, Shahid Yousaf, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Tahir Mughal, Shahzad Malik, Asim Butt, Inam-ul-Haq and Hafiz Mazid.

Umpires: Frances Gomes and A.Y. Gokhale.

Reserve umpire: H.S. Sekhon.

Match Referee: S.K. Bansal.

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