Confident Bengal face Nagaland in Vijay Hazare Trophy opener


22nd November 2023
A confident Bengal team will aim to begin their Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign on a high with a win against Nagaland in their opening Group E match in Mumbai on Thursday.
Bengal are placed in Group E alongside Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, Baroda, Goa, MP, and Punjab.
"The season has already begun, and the journey too. We as a team will enjoy the journey and aim to get success in the ongoing season," Bengal head coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla said.
After putting up a competitive performance in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 meet, where Bengal finished in the pre-quarterfinal stage, the Laxmi Ratan Shukla-coached side will now aim to put up a better show in the 50-over event and go the distance.
Last season, Bengal won four out of six games in their group stage of the Vijay Hazare meet but unfortunately could not make it to the knockouts after finishing second in the group.
Taking confidence from their past performances, Bengal, under the leadership of young and talented batsman Sudip Kumar Gharami, will look to put up their best show this time and bring home the trophy.
Speaking about the preparations and the opener, Bengal coach Sourasish Lahiri said, “We have done our preparations very well and are prepared to take on any challenge thrown at us. We are confident of putting up a good show and begin the campaign with a win against Nagaland.”
The batting department will rely heavily on the experienced Abhimanyu Easwaran and Anustup Majumder.
Besides the duo, skipper Gharami will also aim to carry forward his sublime form from the last season and score some big runs with the bat.
All-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed will be crucial for Bengal both with the bat and ball, while all eyes will be on talented wicket-keeper batsman Abishek Porel.
In the bowling department, Bengal will miss the service of Mukesh Kumar, who was picked for the T20I series against Australia.
In his absence, the duo of Akash Deep and Ishan Porel will lead the bowling line-up.

CAB MEDIA DESK
Arindam Basu