Sourav to skip Jharkhand tie

Date : 2/12/10

Calcutta: After suffering one of the most ignominous defeats in the history of Bengal cricket, it’s time for the zonal heavyweights to make amends.

Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Co. are trying to pick up pieces as they face Jharkhand in their second encounter of the National One Day Championship for Vijay Hazare Trophy (East Zone leg) at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Friday.

It won’t be unfair to say that Shukla is yet to figure out a solution for such a batting debacle. Although they gave a green-top wicket being the reason for the batting debacle but that sounds a very weak explanation against a side like Tripura, which has never been able to bowl out Bengal for less than 175 in a one-day match.

One man could have bailed Bengal out in this crisis situation — Sourav Ganguly. But Bengal won’t be getting the services of former Indian captain who will skip the Jharkhand encounter. Sourav has excused himself from the match as daughter Sanaa is ill. He is expected to join the team by Saturday. How desperately, the Bengal team management wanted to Sourav was evident that skipper Shukla became a touch worried after getting the news that the senior-pro won’t be available.

“We had Sourav in mind and till evening I knew that he was coming. Now, we will have to change plans,” Shukla told The Telegraph from Cuttack.

Incidentally, it was lack of co-ordination on the part of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) officials and team manager Rusi Jeejeebhoy that led to this mis-management.

The CAB brass, who are busy with organising the Eden Test match, didn’t find time all through the day to inform the team management.

Meanwhile, youngster Sudip Chatterjee will make way for Wriddhiman Saha.

Bengal (likely XI): Subhamoy Das, Sreevats Goswami, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, Manoj Tiwary, Laxmi Ratan Shukla (captain), Wriddhiman Saha, Sayan Sekhar Mondal, Arnab Nandi, Ranadeb Bose, Ashok Dinda, Iresh Saxena.

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