Punjab dominates domestic season with second Under-23 win
Punjab emerged victorious on the basis of a first-innings lead in a drawn game against a formidable Mumbai team to walk away with the title
In a moment of immense pride for Punjab, the Under-23 men’s cricket team clinched their second title of the domestic season, lifting the prestigious Col CK Nayudu U-23 Trophy at their home ground in Mullanpur on Saturday.
Punjab emerged victorious on the basis of a first-innings lead in a drawn game against a formidable Mumbai team to walk away with the title. This victory adds to their earlier triumph in January, where they won the U-23 Men’s One-Day Tournament by defeating Gujarat in the final.
While key players like Jaskaranvir Singh, Rahul Kumar, Ayush Goyal, Emanjot Chahal, Aryaman Dhaliwal and their captain Uday Saharan were instrumental in both victories, behind their stupendous success is head coach Vikram Rajvir Singh (VRV Singh), a former Test cricketer, a driving force with his leadership and strategic guidance.
Batting first, Mumbai scored 237 in their first innings with Ayush Goyal (4/60) and Emanjot Chahal (3/69) being the main wicket-takers for Punjab. On Day 2 only 19 overs could be bowled due to wet conditions and Day 3 was completely washed out owing to rain.
On the final day, Punjab scored 241/6, taking first-innings lead of seven runs. Even though the match was drawn, Punjab emerged as winners riding on the first-innings lead. For Punjab Harnoor Pannu scored the highest 85 not out.
“This achievement not only adds another glorious chapter to Punjab’s cricketing journey but also serves as an inspiration for young and aspiring cricketers across the state. We look forward to seeing our players continue this momentum and achieve even greater success in the future,” said PCA secretary Dilsher Khanna.
Fruitful homecoming for coach VRV Singh
Having laid the foundation for Punjab’s continued success in domestic cricket, VRV Singh had never envisioned himself as a coach while retiring from cricket in 2019.
But as soon as the UT Cricket Association (UTCA) got BCCI’s affiliation, the new state unit was quick to rope in Singh as head coach of their senior men’s team.
Five years down the line, Singh has grown into a phenomenal coach, with the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) making most of his cricket expertise and methodical training methods, reflected in the team’s winning streak.
A former fast bowler, Singh, now 40, has played five Tests and two ODIs for India, and credits the Punjab outfit and PCA for the success.
“I was very fortunate to play for India and Punjab. When I joined PCA as head coach of the men’s U-23 team two seasons ago, it was trip down the memory lane. I wanted to give back to PCA. It took a year to groom the cricketers and I am very thrilled to see the boys win twin titles. These are the moments we live for,” said Singh, who was with the Punjab franchise Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) inaugural season and is also part of the Punjabi commentary team in IPL.
“The players showed their mettle and worked very hard for both the finals. When the team won the one-day tournament title, we all had one thing in our mind. We also wanted to clinch the Col CK Nayudu Trophy and send a message across to everyone that we did not win by any fluke. Kudos to the players and also to PCA for backing the team all through,” added an emotional Singh.