 |
Kathmandu Thursday June 21, 2001 Ashadh 07, 2058.
|
Country looks
at old-timers to boost up rookies
By Somesh Verma
KATHMANDU, June 20 - Much
will depend on how would senior and experienced players perform in varying circumstances
and their ability to inspire younger and less experienced colleagues to translate their
potential into performance.
Among the three players
featured today, Ganesh Shahi is the seniormost player in the squad while Kiran Agrawal has
already established himself in the side as a dependable opener. For Munik Shrestha, the
young opener who is touring with the senior side for the first time, one hopes he will be
among runs to justify his selection into the senior squad.
Ganesh Shahi
Like his captain Raju Khadka,
Ganesh Shahi has been in the Nepali side since the first Asian Cricket Council (ACC)
trophy in Malaysia (1996). In the pack as the only wicketkeeper, Shahi is an explosive
right hand bat.
Shahi, who comes from
Nepalgunj, has played Jay trophy national tournament more than any other player in the
Nepali squad. The vice captain of the side, Ganesh Shahi, played his first national
tournament way back in 1989. He was one of the key performers for the Banke team when they
won the trophy in 1998.
His best ever performance at
the international level came in during the third ACC trophy held in UAE (2000). He took
Nepal close to what could have been a famous victory against the formidable Emirates side
with a superb 68, only to lose out by a narrow margin.
Kiran Agrawal
Kiran Agrawal’s short
stature might look far from convincing for some to believe at once that he opens the
batting for Nepal in international matches. But his records beg to differ, which rate him
as a key player for his nation in the forthcoming tourney in Canada.
The 21-year-old represented
Nepal in the under-19 team to the youth World Cup in Sri Lanka last year and subsequently
made it to the senior team in the ACC trophy that was held in the UAE. He more than made
up for his ordinary showing in Sri Lanka tour with two match winning fifties in the UAE.
The gritty opener from
Dharan, singlehandedly led his nation to victory against the Maldives scoring 91 runs.
That could have been the first ever century by a Nepali at the international level. He was
also the architect behind Nepal’s win against Japan, hammering well timed 51. He was
awarded man of the match on the both occasions.
Agrawal not only has the
ability to play long innings, his hare-like running between the wickets can prove to be an
asset in tight situations in a match.
Munik Shrestha
While most of his friends are
busy thinking how to face questions in the forthcoming exams, he has to think how to face
the fast bowlers on the seaming track of Toronto. Munik Shrestha, a class 10 student from
Siddhartha Vanasthali School, has been picked in the side as the third choice to see off
the new ball.
At 15, Shrestha is the
youngest player ever to don the whites for Nepal senior team, and also the only player in
the contingent without having played any match in the Jay trophy tournament— a basis
for the team selection this time. He caught the selector’s notice with a ton against
Singapore in the under-17 Asia Cup in Bangladesh, the very first century by any Nepali in
the international arena.
An opener best known for his
rock solid defence, he is expected to pose threat to his senior colleagues—Paresh
Lohani and Kiran Agrawal— for a place in the eleven.
to be continued ... |
