Ray of hope

Suhrid Barua, Pune Mirror, January 20, 2008

It didn't happen once, not twice but thrice to Maharashtra cricketers.First it was Harshad Khadiwale and Samad Fallah who made it to theWest Zone Duleep Trophy team last season, but only contrived to warmthe bench. Then, it was the turn of Kedar Jadhav to make the cut forthe Deodhar Trophy team but even he also ended up being confined tothe sidelines. So, though recent history may not portent anythingauspicious when it comes to State players making to the zonal team,and actually going on to figure in the playing eleven.
So, would the outpouring of joy and bliss over three Maharashtracricketers – Kedar Jadhav, Ameya Shrikhande and Samad Fallah beingh picked in this season's West Zone Duleep Trophy team merely end upwith making the numbers? A close look at the West Zone team wouldsuggest that it won't be far-fetched to be an optimism as at least two of the three Maharashtra lads are primed to make the playing eleven this time around.
A peruse of the West Zone team would makes one fathom that the likesof skipper Wasim Jaffer, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, ParhivPatel (as wicketkeeper), Bhavik Thakkar are very much automaticchoices with Kedar Jadhav heavily tipped to take the fifth batsman's slot. Who knows even Ameya Shrikhande may be preferred over Gujarat'sBhavik Thakkar. Abhishekh Nayyar would be a firm favourite to take theall-rounder mantle.
Coming to the West Zone bowling attack, one can't simply overlookSamad Fallah's name of not being on the playing eleven. A rapidlyimproving youngster, Fallah could get the opportunity to share the newball with Dhawal Kulkarni with Siddharth Trivedi as the third seamer with the chunky Ramesh Powar as the lone tweaker in the eleven.
Of course, the team management will take the final call, one cansafely say this is the kind of team composition they would eye on.
So how does the likes of Kedar Jadhav and Samad Fallah fancy their chances of being in the playing eleven after experiencing the frustration of sitting out last season in Deodhar and Duleep Trophy respectively.
"It was a kind of learning curve to be in the Deodhar Trophy side lasttime, though the disappointment of not playing was very much there. I'm hopefull that this time I will get the opportunity of proving myworth," he remarked.
Seamer Fallah toed the same line. "Last season, I sat out of all the Duleep Trophy games. This time, I'm not going to be just happy atmaking the team but finding a berth in the eleven, as I want to provethat my good run in the Ranji season was no flash-in-the pan stuff."
Quiz West Zone selection committee chairman Surendra Bhave on thethree Maharashtra guys making the Duleep Trophy side and he offers a straight bat. It's not fair on my part to talk about their chances of figuring in the playing eleven. All I can say is that these boys deserved their berths in the side for the consistency they exuded throughout this season. Let's leave it at that."