Chance for Priyam to push UP on top; Raina joins camp
LUCKNOW: Young Priyam Garg’s name could have been written in golden letters if India had won the 2019 ICC Under-19 World Cup final against Bangladesh in South Africa. But the Meerut lad still has a chance to earn a name for himself if he leads Uttar Pradesh to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 Trophy in the upcoming season after being appointed the youngest-ever captain to lead the side in domestic cricket.
The surprising elevation of Garg, now 20, as skipper of the Uttar Pradesh team was a bold decision by the selectors and coach Gyanendra Pandey, who wants UP to get back to the winning ways again.
An attacking game planner Garg, who poses the ability to lead from the front, would be assisted by his deputy and Ghaziabad’s Karan Sharma in the side, who has been a fine batsman with a proven track record for the under-23 team last season.
Pandey, who chose Garg as skipper of the India U-19 squad in the World Cup as the junior national selector last year, feels that young shoulders like Garg and Sharma are strong enough to lift Uttar Pradesh’s fortunes as the T20 game requires an attacking approach.
“Have seen the spark in his (Garg) eyes and the way he led the Indian side in South Africa was remarkable. Although we lost the World Cup by just three wickets by the D/L method, the Indian boys played remarkable cricket,” said Pandey, who stepped down as junior national selector only a few months ago.
“I have seen Uttar Pradesh reach the pinnacle of domestic cricket and know well about the feeling when you lead the side to new heights, and I would love to see Garg and Co., bringing home their maiden T20 Trophy. Both Mohd Kaif and Suresh Raina have won the Ranji Tro- phy, Nissar Trophy (2005-06) and the Vijay Hazare Trophy (2016) under their leadership, and now it’s an opportunity for Garg to add one more trophy to UP’s kitty,” he added.
Pandey said he was enjoying his stint as coach of the team after nine years and trying to motivate the boys. The season’s details are yet to be announced by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Besides Garg and Sharma, there are many good youngsters in the camp, currently going on at Kamla Club Ground in Kanpur. “Taking a particular name won’t be justified right now. I can say that there are plenty of youngsters among the probables, who have the potential to do well, if given the chance,” said Pandey on Sunday.
The week-long camp is supposed to end on Tuesday. The five-member selection panel is expected to prune the list of 49 probables to 30 before holding the final camp of 15-18 prior to the T20 event, which is expected to start on January 3 next year.
Former captain Suresh Raina joining the camp was the biggest surprise for the side. Team India’s former big hitter enjoyed a long training session with boys at Kamla Club Ground on Sunday afternoon.
“Yes, he is here to play for the state side as he hasn’t retired from the domestic cricket,” UPCA manager cricket (operations) Shreyans said on Sunday.
“He (Raina) not only went through the paces at the camp but also shared his experience with his juniors,” he said, adding, “Still there is no information about Team India bowler and UP’s own Bhuvaneshwar Kumar about joining the state camp.”
“He (Bhuvi) was in rehab at the National Cricket Academy at Bengaluru when I talked to him in recent times, but there is no information about his joining the camp at Kanpur,” he said.
Left-hander Raina, who last played a domestic match for Uttar Pradesh against Jharkhand in Ranji Trophy at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium here on February 2018, had announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15 along with MS Dhoni just before start of the IPL in UAE.
Raina’s availability for UP in the T20 event would be a key factor if the 34-year-old former inmate of the UP government’s cricket hostel gets going.