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This Uttar Pradesh team thrives in adversity

This team runs on the enthusiasm, sheer talent and hard work,” quipped an Uttar Pradesh player on the sidelines of the league game against Karnataka last month.

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“Nothing will change the lackadaisical attitude of the administrators back home. This team runs on the enthusiasm, sheer talent and hard work,” quipped an Uttar Pradesh player on the sidelines of the league game against Karnataka at the Chinnaswamy Stadium last month.

A typical gritty effort from Uttar Pradesh was on show. Karnataka had posted 511 on a flat wicket. At 53 for 2, Uttar Pradesh’s hopes of bagging three crucial points — essential for securing a quarterfinal berth — were going up in smoke.

Twenty-year-old Tanmay Srivastava and skipper Mohammad Kaif dug deep to add 247 runs for the third wicket. Parvinder Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar put a price on their wicket as UP inched towards a first innings lead. Piyush Chawla fell four runs short of a century, but not before helping his team nose ahead.

In the quarterfinal against Gujarat, Suresh Raina, Shivakant Shukla and Parvinder contributed with the bat to help Uttar Pradesh post 300-plus. Praveen Kumar then struck telling blows with the new ball.

In the semifinal it was Pravinder and Shukla, who bailed the team out with a 262-run stand for the fourth wicket, one that was vital in gaining the first inning lead against Tamil Nadu, after Laxmipathy Balaji dismissed the well-set Suresh Raina and skipper Kaif.

These are just few of the instances where Uttar Pradesh have shown the uncanny ability to get out of jail. There are no big stars or big egos in the dressing room but it helps when there is a streak of street smartness running though the veins.

“We are hungry for success. I have been around and so has Raina, Piyush, Praveen Kumar, RP (Singh). There is an eagerness to break back into the national side. It helps when the younger guys are fast learners. I can’t pick one star performer. This only means that everyone is pulling their weight,” Kaif told DNA on Thursday.

Coach Gyanendra Pandey kept it simple. “We don’t complicate things. I ensure that everyone is capable of performing at the crunch in the middle,” Pandey said. This is probably the best philosophy for a team bereft of modern cricketing paraphernalia.
According to a former player nothing has really changed in the past decade.

“The infrastructure provided is dated. Players have to wait endlessly to get quality balls for practice, training facilities are badly maintained and officials are often high-handed. The 2005-06 title hasn’t improved the plight of the cricketers. To win titles consistently we must keep pace with the times. It’s a testament to our spirit that we have entered three finals in the past four years in spite of official apathy.”

Kaif terms the game against the 37-time champions as a ‘golden opportunity’. “Making a century against Zaheer Khan or Ajit Agarkar will be noticed. Dismissing Sachin Tendulkar early or grabbing a five-wicket haul will count. This incentive will make us play out of our skins,” Kaif said.

Incentives in the form of prize money are already on their way. Rajiv Shukla, the secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association, announced an award of Rs1 lakh to Shivakant Shukla and Parvinder for their effort in the semifinal. But the UPCA has been guilty of treating their players shabbily.

“This is the time to look ahead. We are working towards refurbishing the infrastructure; we want to give the players the best of facilities. For starters, we will definitely give a handsome cash bonus to the team if they win the title,” Shukla told DNA.

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