Posted On Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 10:22:34 AM
|
|
|
 |
| Services will be hoping Sachin Tendulkar is not at his lethal best during the match |
Two years ago, Rajasthan took everyone by surprise when they came through the Plate Division and triumphed in the 2010/11 Ranji Trophy. It was nothing short of a fairytale ending for a team, which, over the years, had been struggling to keep pace with the top domestic sides.
And as if to ensure that success wasn’t a fluke, Hrishikesh Kanitkar’s men went all the way in the competition the following year as well.
The ongoing competition has witnessed the emergence of another team that is treading a similar path. And although these are early days, Services too, seem to have smelt blood.
In the run-up to their quarter-finals against Uttar Pradesh, no one gave them a sliver of a chance, with their own team manager Deepak Bhaskar putting the ‘underdogs’ tag around their neck. However, with Services bringing the tournament to life, that ‘underdog’ is slowly starting to fade.
Last week, a gusty show by skipper Soumik Chatterjee, who hobbled out on one foot to score 34 priceless runs as his team surpassed the 113-run victory target and beat Mohammad Kaif’s Uttar Pradesh side by five wickets, has put Services in good stead going into their last-four match with Mumbai. While the match with UP was easily amongst the best games this season, Services will now be eyeing a bigger catch against fancied Mumbai.
Bhaskar feels Services’ progress is down to the unity that prevails in the team. “We have worked very hard over the last two years to get here,” Bhaskar said. “The results may seem immediate, but the unity in the team has been brewing for a few years now.
Another factor that contributed to our success is that we had been practicing as a unit for a longer period of time before the season started.” Services were finalists in the competition in 1956-57 and 1957-58 and have played in six semis, so it is time they get their act together.
The men responsible for this turnaround are batsmen Rajat Paliwal (773 runs), Yashpal Singh (732 runs), Anshul Gupta (535 runs) and bowlers Suraj Yadav (41 wickets), Shadab Nazar (31 wickets) and Nishan Singh (25 wickets).
Skipper Chatterjee has chipped in with 477 runs so far, but sits out due to a knee injury. “Soumik’s commitment will definitely serve as an inspiration and hopefully we can surprise Mumbai as well,” Bhaskar added.
|
03:37:44 PM