UNDER-16 BOYS BECOME FIRST TEAM TO QUALIFY FOR KNOCKOUT IN BCCI TOURNEYInnings win for Sikkim in Vijay Merchant Trophy

RAJEEV RAVIDAS, TT, 8 November 2019, Gangtok: Sikkim under-16 boys created cricketing history by remaining undefeated in the zonal round of the Vijay Merchant Trophy.

The players became the first team from the state to qualify for the business end of any Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)-conducted tournament.

In their last match of the North East and Bihar Zone that ended in Cuttack, Odisha, on Thursday, the Sikkim colts defeated Manipur by an innings and seven runs, thanks to a seven-wicket haul by Yawar Mushahid Hussain in the second innings. Manipur were bundled out for a paltry 60 runs in their first essay and Sikkim had responded with 203 runs in their first innings.

With the resounding win against Manipur, Sikkim topped the zone by winning four matches and drawing one. The Himalayan state had already qualified for the knockout phase of the tournament with their win against Nagaland in their previous match last Friday.

"Yes, this is the first time a team from Sikkim is qualifying for the knockout phase of any tournament. This indeed is a historic moment for us," said Lobzang G. Tenzing, the president of Sikkim Cricket Association (SICA).

Roshan Gupta, a SICA spokesman, said the victori- Sikkim's under-16 boys' team and coaches in Cuttack on Thursday ous boys would be returning home on November 9 for a brief break before proceeding to Chennai for ten days of training in the lead up to the knockout competition. "The BCCI is yet to release the fixture for the knockout phase," he said.

The achievement of quali- fying for the business end of the tournament is all the more creditable because barring three guest players who are from outside the state, all other members of the squad, including the coaching staff, are locals. "This is proof of the dedication and commitment of the boys," said Tenzing.

The SICA president also promised special blazers to all the members of the under-16 squad to commemorate the occasion. "We also intend to send four or five promising players to academies outside the state," he added.

Forget academies, Sikkim does not even have a single dedicated cricket ground. The boys practise in multi- discipline grounds on their own most of the time. "Older players across the four districts help them, but otherwise, they are on their own. We conduct coaching camps in Odisha before every tournament," said the SICA president.

Odisha has been the home venue for the SICA in the absence of a cricket stadium in Sikkim, but that should not be for long. The SICA is constructing a cricket stadium at the Mining Ground near Rangpo, about 40km from here, with the help of the BCCI.

"The first phase of the work should be over by March. The academy is part of the second phase of the work," said Tenzing.