Ranji Trophy, the pinnacle of Indian domestic cricket, is back with another fresh season during which teams from across the country will be contesting for a period of two months to win the prestigious title. One of the 38 participants is Chhattisgarh who are aiming to excel in the red-ball format to stamp their authority in the Indian domestic circuit.
It was a mixed bag for Chhattisgarh last season in which they ended 5th – 3 wins from 7 games – on the points table of Elite Group C, which also had former champions like Karnataka and Rajasthan. For the latest season, Chhattisgarh have been grouped with some giant teams in 41-time champions Mumbai and last year’s runners-up Bengal alongside Assam, Andhra, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Bihar being the other contenders of Elite Group B.
Also Read: Ashish a Step Away from Realising FC Dream
A fresh season of red-ball cricket brings new aspirations for the players participating in this testing contest. All-rounder Ajay Mandal is also looking forward to the forthcoming edition of the Ranji Trophy as Chhattisgarh begin their campaign against Assam at home from Friday.
The southpaw happens to be the first native player of the state to pick 100 wickets in the longest format. He shined last season as well. With 35 wickets in 7 games, he ended the season as the highest wicket-taker for his team with best figures of 7/7 vs Puducherry. With the bat in hand, he accumulated 271 runs in 13 innings and was the third-highest scorer for the side, after Amandeep Khare (544) and former captain Harpreet Singh Bhatia (420).
A post shared by Ajay Mandal (@mandalajju25)
Speaking exclusively to News18 CricketNext, Mandal says like all his teammates, he is also focused on bringing laurels to the state by winning the coveted title. But personally, he has set new benchmarks for himself.
“Taking the team to the knockouts and winning the Ranji Trophy – that’s always at the back of my mind. But as far as my personal goals are concerned, if I could score 500 runs in the season and pick 40 wickets, then not only I’ll grow but also the team will benefit,” Mandal said.
“It’s just that I want to level up with each season. Like last season I picked up 35 wickets but this time, I’m targeting 40,” he added.
Mandal has been one of the consistent performers of the state across formats. He starred with both bat and ball in the white-ball domestic tournaments last year. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy 2023, the 27-year-old scored 109 runs in 7 innings and picked up 9 wickets. Whereas in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he got 120 runs and 8 wickets in 7 matches.
Also Read: Focus on India Discards, Fast Bowling Bench
And not just Mandal but several players showcased impactful performances throughout the competitions. However, the team as a whole, couldn’t finish at the top of the table in either tournament.
Explaining the reason behind, Mandal says Chhattisgarh lacked the perfect blend of youth and experience in the white-ball competitions but that was a lesson well learned and the team is going to work on that in the upcoming assignments.
“If I speak about the white-ball domestic season, the team was relatively young. And if you want to win big tournaments like Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare, then the team should have a mix of youth and seasoned players. So, there were a few players who have been playing consistently while the others were in and out of the team due to different reasons,” he said.
“So, it was a little challenging to put on a remarkable show all the time but yes, going forward we’ll surely try to finish at the top of the table,” he added.
Ready to roll in red-ball games
The past one month has been full of hustle for the 17-man Chhattisgarh squad as the players left no stone unturned to prepare for the forthcoming Ranji season. Mandal is confident that the team will definitely do well as the preparations have been to the point.
“Since the conclusion of the Vijay Hazare till turning up at the Ranji Trophy, there was a month-long gap and we utilized that break to prepare ourselves for different conditions. We trained ourselves for turning tracks as well as the fast pitches. Even the big teams like Mumbai, Tamil Nadu, etc. follow the same process.
“So, we are well-prepared. The competition is indeed tough but I believe, we will excel,” Mandal said.
A post shared by Ajay Mandal (@mandalajju25)
‘Facing Ajju Bhai will be great’
The ‘Khadoos’ Mumbai team will arrive in Raipur next month to lock horns with Chhattisgarh and the fixture will pit two Chennai Super Kings (CSK) players – uncapped Mandal – and veteran Ajinkya Rahane against each other.
The latter will be leading Mumbai for the second time in a row and will be keen to make a mark so as to storm back into the Indian dressing room for the England Tests at home. On the other hand, Mandal, who has immense respect for seasoned campaigner Rahane, is looking forward to the banter between bat and ball on the field.
“Ajju Bhai is an established player. He has played so many Test matches for India and has captained the team as well. The respect is there for him. But on the field, he walks out to fight and then it’s a banter between bat and ball.
“Yeah, he is a huge player but I believe, if I get him out, or any such big player, it will only boost my confidence,” he added.
Time for youngsters to step up
Harpreet Bhatia, who led Chhattisgarh last year, wasn’t available for selection this season while former India U-19 player Amandeep Khare will don the captain’s hat. Mandal believes that the absence of a player like Bhatia is a big miss but it’s certainly an opportunity for the youngsters to step up and shine.
“Yeah, it’s a pretty big gap to fill. Harpreet has been representing Chhattisgarh for quite a long time now and is one of the backbones of the team. He has been consistently scoring runs for the team for so many seasons. But now since he’s not there, it will be an opportunity for the youngsters from age-group cricket to step up and prove their mettle,” Mandal said.
What's your reaction?
Comments
0 comment