Underdogs Services bank on team spirit to make it big

Against Subhania,Services piled up a total of 170,before easily restricting the local club to 138 in the stipulated 20 overs. But Services captain Yashpal Singh is not getting too ahead of himself. Only a day before,the team faced Delhi in a practice game and been shot out for 78. but even then,Services’ bowlers had acquitted themselves well,snaring four wickets before Delhi overhauled the target.

“I have told the team that we will not get any attention in the T20s if we continue to lose in the early stages. We have to advance to the knock-outs and further if we want to be noticed,” he says. Yashpal,who himself scored a fifty on Monday,is happy with his side’s performances,but knows there is more work at hand if his side has to go further thatn they did last year. Last season,the team surprised everyone by doing well before narrowly missing out on a chance to advance from the North Zone to the knock-outs,on the basis of net run rate.

A large part of that success was due to blooding teenagers. Services had started last season with six debutants including Soumyaranjan Swain and Suraj Yadav. This time too,they will be giving a chance to two more talented players — batsman Anshul Gupta and leg spinner Khalid Memon — with the latter having represented UP at the U-22 level.

Memon was impressive against Delhi as well,picking up two wickets in the practice match. “It’s a good thing that we have two more young players joining. With the exception of a few senior players all are around the same age group and that helps the team to bond well,” says Yashpal.

Services play their group matches in Lahli,Haryana,and are aware that the conditions would not be too easy. “From what I have experienced,the pitch isn’t going to be easy to bat on,but that isn’t a bad thing. Haryana,Delhi and Punjab are good teams and on a difficult pitch,it’s generally seen that the team better on paper often struggles,” says Yashpal.

Their campaign opener,though,will be against a much easier opponent — Jammu and Kashmir — and Yashpal is targettign a win to get into the right momentum. “It is important to start our season on a positive note. Last season we had a four-day game against Kerala which we lost on the basis of first innings lead. After that we were always trying to play catch up against our opponents. This time we are playing T20s but if we do well,the belief will carry on into the four-day matches as well,” he says.

Services T20 squad: Yashpal Singh (C),Sarabjeet Singh (wk) Sumit Singha,Abhishek Sakuja,Irfan Khan,Retesh Negi,Vishnu Tiwari,Amrinder Singh,Sanjeev Mishra,Suraj Yadav,Khalid Memon,Narender Singh,Amit Kumar,Anshul Gupta,Tahir Khan.