Priyam Garg to bolster UP batting vs Vidarbha in final
Meerut boy has so far 800 plus runs in Ranji Trophy this season
LUCKNOW : Emergence of young Priyam Garg as Uttar Pradesh’s batting backbone in the middle order this season remained one of the biggest discoveries for the state cricket. From the very first match, the 18-year-old boy from Meerut, Priyam stayed tuned to his performance, cracking two centuries and four half centuries for the side.
With age at his side, the righthander Priyam has especially called for the under-19 to let his bat do the talking for one more time when former champions Uttar Pradesh take on hosts and defending champions Vidarbha in the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy final, beginning Monday at Nagpur.
Playing confidently, Priyam had a century knock in the debut match against Goa in Ranji Trophy this November, and didn’t look back then, scoring 814 runs with an unbeaten 206 being his best against Tripura in Lucknow itself, and if he gets going last year semi-finalists Uttar Pradesh can hope for a title triumph at Nagpur.
“Priyam’s presence in the playing XI is a big boost as he has consistently been doing well for the state teams,” team coach Amir said on Sunday. “We are hoping Priyam to dominate proceedings with willow here.”
In their last meeting in the league phase, Uttar Pradesh had a resounding eight-wicket win over Vidarbha at Muzzafarnagar, and they are hoping for a similar turn around this time too. “Win at Muzzafarnagar is a big inspiration to the boys and we want to repeat that moment at Nagpur too,” said Amir.
Terming the hosts a good side on home turf, Amir said that they weren’t taking rivals lightly and expecting a good tussle between the bat and the ball at VCA Stadium. “They (Vidarbha) have always been a strong side on home turf. Unlike Muzzafarnagar, conditions are different here, but UP boys are capable enough to handle all situations.”
The 22-yard strip is likely to assist the batsmen more and the team winning the toss, would like to bat first. Yash Rathod (1030), Yash Kadam (691) and Nayan Chavan (684) in batting and Nachiket Bhute (48 wkts), Rohit Dattatraya (37 wkts) and Dushyant Teken (33 wkts) would be the players to watch in Vidarbha side.
Other than Priyam, Uttar Pradesh’s batting would revolve around Dhruv Chand Jurel (670), Ansh Yadav (572) and Sameer Rizvi (527), whereas in bowling department spinner Shivam Sharma (39 wkts) would handle the old ball once the seamers Kartik Tyagi (39 wkts) and Mohit Jangra (35 wkts) finish the quote of their early spells.
TEAMS Uttar Pradesh:
Aryan Sharma (captain), Priyam Garg, Kritagya K Singh, Ansh Yadav, Sameer Rizvi, Aryan Juyal, Dhruv Chand Jurel, Sameer Choudhary, Purnank Tyagi, Shivam Sharma, Mohit Jangra, Kartik Tyagi and Kunal Yadav.
Vidarbha: Yash Kadam (captain), Mandar Mahale, Bharat Naidu, Aman Mokhade, Yash Rathod, Nayan Chavan, Sandesh Drugwar, Harsh Dubey, Nachiket Bhute, Dushyant Tekan, Rohit Dattatraya, Siddesh Dandewar, Sandesh Khedkar, Prerit Agrawal, Gulam Ali.