Roles changed,mission remains the same for UP trio

UP was bowled out for 79 and 201 to concede an innings and 94 run defeat against Railways in the last round. Currently languishing in the fourth spot of Group A with 12 points,they are slated to face tough opponents-Mumbai and Karnataka in its remaining fixtures.

Making it to the knock-out stage will not be an easy task,as both Karnataka and Mumbai are strong teams and lead the points table in Group A with 20 and 17 points,respectively,from five matches each. The intent to improve among the UP team is there for all to see. Ashish,whose Ranji haul of 348 wickets is bettered by only one paceman- Madan Lal,is out early in the morning chill,conferring with the seamers. “I was delighted when I gave ‘jadoo ki jhappi’ to the Ranji Trophy after a wait of almost 19 seasons. Today,we are coaches to some players whom we had played with but the positive thing is that all the players listen to whatever we have to share with them,” said Ashish.

Rizwan Shamshad was busy putting the batsmen through their paces and remarked that the team’s fitness was a lot better than it was during their times. Shamshad who has 7,018 runs from 108 first-class matches had been grooming the under-22 and the under-19 teams for the past three years. “I am happy to have joined Gyanu (Gyanendra) and Ashish as a coach from this season. As compared to the team of our times,the current UP team is a lot more fit. The only thing is that too much of cricket has perhaps brought some change in the temperament of the players.”

Chief coach Gyanendra Pandey,who has 5,348 runs and 165 wickets in his first-class career said he would bank on the experience of his senior men to pull the side through. “There are senior players like Mohammad Kaif,Piyush Chawla,Parvinder Singh and Praveen Kumar with whom all three of us have played. They are all very tough players in comparison to some of the youngsters who need more grooming. They will be the leaders in the team and help us improve,” he said.