Jaipur: Rajasthan find themselves in a difficult spot after a dismal show in the last Ranji Trophy match against Saurashtra which they lost by 218 runs. Stand-in captain Aniket Choudhary will be hoping against hope for an outright win, maybe with a bonus point too. He would also wish that other results in Group A turn out to be in their favour after the last league game.
Rajasthan will be without their full-time skipper Deepak Hooda when they will be out on Friday to face Jharkhand in Jamshedpur.Some sources say that the 28-year-old has a ‘back issue’ while others say that ‘since the last game is inconsequential, he made himself unavailable for selection to prepare for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL).’
With 19 points from six outings, Rajasthan stand at the fifth position. Vidarbha are the table-toppers (27 points), followed by Haryana (24 points). Saurashtra (22 points) hold the third place while Services, with same points but weaker net run rate are at fourth spot. Only the top two teams from the group qualify for the knockouts.
Rajasthan head coach Anshu Jain wants his team to go out and give their best in the last game. “We want to finish the tournament on a high note. The loss in the last game hurt us. But we need to move ahead and capitalise on the positives. We have played good cricket in the last five months and that should motivate us. There have been a few setbacks, but that is part and parcel of the game. We will definitely look to work on the shortcomings in the off season.”
Hooda ‘will be missed’, said the coach. “He is a very good player, and any side would miss having someone of his calibre in the team. Hooda has always given his 100 percent for the team and now we need to respect his decision,” he added.
Rajasthan will be without their full-time skipper Deepak Hooda when they will be out on Friday to face Jharkhand in Jamshedpur.Some sources say that the 28-year-old has a ‘back issue’ while others say that ‘since the last game is inconsequential, he made himself unavailable for selection to prepare for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL).’
With 19 points from six outings, Rajasthan stand at the fifth position. Vidarbha are the table-toppers (27 points), followed by Haryana (24 points). Saurashtra (22 points) hold the third place while Services, with same points but weaker net run rate are at fourth spot. Only the top two teams from the group qualify for the knockouts.
Rajasthan head coach Anshu Jain wants his team to go out and give their best in the last game. “We want to finish the tournament on a high note. The loss in the last game hurt us. But we need to move ahead and capitalise on the positives. We have played good cricket in the last five months and that should motivate us. There have been a few setbacks, but that is part and parcel of the game. We will definitely look to work on the shortcomings in the off season.”
Hooda ‘will be missed’, said the coach. “He is a very good player, and any side would miss having someone of his calibre in the team. Hooda has always given his 100 percent for the team and now we need to respect his decision,” he added.
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Rajasthan cricket team captain Deepak Hooda will miss the last Ranji Trophy game against Jharkhand. Aniket Choudhary leads the team with Manav Suthar as his deputy. The squad includes Khaleel Ahmed, Zubair Ali Khan, and players criticized for their selection.
Rajasthan cricket team captain Deepak Hooda will miss the last Ranji Trophy game against Jharkhand. Aniket Choudhary leads the team with Manav Suthar as his deputy. The squad includes Khaleel Ahmed, Zubair Ali Khan, and players criticized for their selection.