Large turnout at Ranji trials

NEW DELHI, October 5: More than 100 young cricketers, all dressed up in whites and carrying kit-bags on their shoulders, trooped on to th...

NEW DELHI, October 5: More than 100 young cricketers, all dressed up in whites and carrying kit-bags on their shoulders, trooped on to the Ferozeshah Kotla this afternoon. They had all come for the `open trials’ to select the Delhi Ranji Trophy team.

The youngsters, mostly belonging to various clubs of the Capital, joined the likes of former skipper Ajay Sharma, present captain Vijay Dahiya and Akash Malhotra at the `open trials’ as Surinder Khanna (manager) and Rakesh Shukla (coach) watched them at the nets.

“Having accepted open trials, we have to give chance to every cricketer who has turned up,” said Rakesh Shukla. Their task is not just watching the players and prune down the probables’ list. One would only pity them going by the number of recommendation letters some of the players had brought along with them to be presented to the selectors.

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“We cannot take any decision in the absence of the chairman of selection committee who is expected back from South Africa next week only.,” said Surinder Khanna.

Although trials for the under-19 team was simultaneously on at the adjacent Kotla 2 grounds, most youngsters preferred to `give trials’ for Ranji. “If we are rejected here, then we’ll go for Under-19 trials,” some of the boys who had turned up at the Kotla said.

Delhi take on Haryana in the season’s first Ranji match at Vaish College grounds (Rohtak) from October 22.