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Bihar skipper Aman confident of reaching quarter finals in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Ashutosh Aman would be leading the Bihar side once again when the team begins it’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign against Arunachal Pradesh on 11th January in Chennai. He is upbeat about the task at hand since a ‘balanced’ team has been selected for the tournament. There were many hurdles before the selection, but now as the team has been selected, Aman hopes that they could replicate their 2018 Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign where they topped the Plate group to qualify for the Quarter Finals, in their very first attempt as a reinstated team. Bihar's perspective: Things to look out for in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Talking about his plans, the skipper said, “For Mushtaq Ali, we have got a balanced team, it is a good mixture of youngsters and seniors. The main aim is to top the group and qualify for the quarter-finals...once we are there, we will try and give our best and reach as far in the tournament as possible.” This is also the first time that teams have been divided into a Plate group for Syed Mushtaq Ali. Bihar, which has won a solitary match out of the 12 that they have played so far in the history of the tournament, would look to better their record. But there are many hurdles before they could think of getting to the top of the group. And Aman acknowledges them too. “Our main competition is Chandigarh. They got the better of us in the Ranji Trophy last year, on the basis of their first-innings lead. Apart from them, Meghalaya is strong and so is Nagaland. Stuart Binny would be plying his trade for Nagaland this year...but that doesn’t mean we are any weaker,” Aman boasted. The team indeed has a good mix of youth and experience and Aman believes that youngsters like Sakib-Ul-Gani who scored a triple century in the CK Nayudu U-23 domestic championship, along with Akash Raj could come in handy. All-rounder Aman yearns for Ranji Trophy Aman rose to fame from Ranji Trophy, where during the 2018-19 season, he broke Bishan Sing Bedi’s 44-year-old record for most wickets in a Ranji season. He got 68 wickets in eight games, four more than Bedi’s 64 wickets. The only century in his career is courtesy the Ranji Trophy as well. If there is love personified between a tournament and player, Aman can give competition to anyone when it comes to his love for the premium First Class Tournament of India. Since rumors are ripe about the four-day tournament being scrapped this season, Aman feels a bit hard done as a player. But as a cricket appreciator, he is happy that in this time of covid-19, BCCI is still hosting Syed Mushtaq Ali for the domestic players with a possibility to host the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well. “Ranji Trophy should be played. But it is unfortunate that due to Coronavirus it might be scrapped. I believe It is the original tournament, the real first-class cricket, so I would hope that we have Ranji Trophy this year..but we can only hope,” Aman said with a face that yearned for an opportunity to play First-Class cricket. It’s been almost a year since he last played competitive cricket. The all-round potential of this Air Force man has still not been fully utilized in the limited-overs and Mushtaq Ali is the right time for him to unleash the power with the bat. Emphasizing that he considers himself as an all-rounder in the team, Aman said, “I bat at number six and seven and try to contribute with the bat as and when required.” “For the upcoming tournament, I am practicing my shots which might be crucial at the fag end of the innings,” he added. The ultimate dream There is one more thing that is approaching its fag end and that is Aman’s playing age. Already at 34 and touching 35, the 2018-19 Ceat Domestic Cricketer of the year awardee doesn’t have much time on his hand to get to the ultimate dream of wearing the Navy Blue Indian cap. But that doesn’t make him one bit distraught, he is rather motivated to keep going. The boy from Gaya, Bihar has grinded it through studies, Indian Air Force and Services team till joining the Bihar cricket team and throughout this journey, he has kept his belief in two things- his love and passion for Cricket and his process. It wouldn't be wrong to say that if there is anyone that could dare to fulfill the ultimate dream at his age and with the bare minimum resources that he has at the offer, it is Sergeant Ashutosh Aman. After all, he has achieved greater things by believing in the process and by not giving up on his dreams in the face of all adversities. *This story is the third and last part of a three-part interview of Bihar cricket captain Ashutosh Aman. The other two parts can be read here: Interview Part-1 Interview Part-2

Bihar captain Ashutosh Aman points out biggest issues plaguing state cricket

Bihar captain Ashutosh Aman had played professional cricket in the Indian domestic circuit even before joining the Bihar team. He represented the Services team in two List A games. As opportunities were very few and took a long time to come by, he turned Pro and switched sides from Services to his home state Bihar, when the state finally got the opportunity to play First Class Cricket once again in 2018-19. Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) the parent body running cricket in Bihar is a mess that is indescribable. It is so messy that it hasn’t been able to conduct a free and fair election since the start of its proceedings in 2018-19 and has changed the President and Secretary a lot many times in these two years. The problem has deepened so much that the two warring factions of the BCA, one controlled by the Secretary and one by the President selected two different teams of Bihar for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The embarrassment was published all over the media. Later BCCI intervened to solve the matter. Fighting adversities on all fronts Asked to comment, Aman had his reservations about speaking on the issue. He said, “I will say as much that we should all be together and play in a manner that is beneficial for the state as a whole.” He held on to the respect for the association, but couldn’t ignore the neglect of authorities on the facilities provided to players. His struggle is not limited only to administration but involves the lack of resources too. Talking about the problems faced by the players at the grassroots level he said, “The biggest problem at the grassroots is the non-availability of grounds in Bihar.” Pointing towards the pitch of the ground, on the boundary lines of which this interview was taking place, he said, “We have only this ground in Bihar which is at par with other states. And we have 38 district teams. Imagine what they must be playing on!” “I come from Gaya and the matches there are also played on disappointingly bad grounds. People can get injured any time,” he added emancipating the plight of the players. “The other ground at par with this one is of the Urja Stadium. But to practice or play there the association has to pay them,” he said. I tried to enquire if another ground in the vicinity of the capital, the Jagjivan Stadium of the Railways was worth a try. Answering the query he said, “The Jagjivan Stadium in Danapur isn’t that good. So all in all, we have this single ground. Although now Devi Bhaiya (Bihar Cricket Association’s official curator Devi Dayal) has prepared another good ground in Bhagalpur, it’s utility is still limited.” Since he has played in two very different setups of Services- the all disciplined life and Bihar, where there might be anything but discipline among the administrators, Aman says that coping up to the changing environment is a tiring job, but he is not shy of taking it upon himself to change things. “Services have been playing Ranji Trophy for quite some time now. So there is infrastructure, professionalism. On the other hand, Bihar was reinstated only two years ago. The boys here are playing competitive cricket just now. So in time, things would improve. And I have started inculcating the spirit of cricket and the most important aspect of any sport, DISCIPLINE.” *This story is the second part of a three-part interview of Bihar cricket captain Ashutosh Aman. The other two parts can be read here: Interview Part-1 Interview Part-3

From IAF to 22 yards: Bihar Captain Ashutosh Aman talks life, dreams and sacrifices

'Struggle' is an operative word most of the time in most of the stories. The story of the Bihar cricket team’s captain Ashutosh Aman has this word etched in gold on almost all the pages that have unfolded so far. The best part, reaching out to him and convincing him for this interview was a struggle in itself. Left-Arm orthodox spinner Aman holds the Ranji Trophy record for the most number wickets in a single season. He broke legendary spinner Bishan Singh Bedi’s record and that too in the 2018-19 season, the debut season for Bihar Cricket Team after being reinstated as a permanent member of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. He surpassed his idol by picking up 68 Ranji wickets in that season, four more than Bedi. Aman got past the 44-year-old record by claiming 11 wickets in the last Ranji Trophy game for Bihar in the 2018-19 season at the historic Moin-Ul-Haq Stadium in Patna. It was the same place where he had invited me for this interview. Moin-Ul-Haq was a champion sports administrator from Patna. It is ironic however that the stadium’s outer area is always bustling with sporting activities, albeit without any known administration. But that story can wait for another time. I could not locate the 34-year-old Aman as much as I tried, and it wouldn’t have been possible to reach him either had it not been for a stadium guard to allow me to enter the practice area for the Bihar team on the main ground. Luckily I spotted Aman with the newly appointed manager. And I was lucky as the Bihar team was leaving for Chennai to play the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy the very next day, and most of the players had already departed, except for a few, including Aman. Dreams come true, process matters Moin-Ul-Haq is a good facility as it is located in the capital and has most of the amenities required for training. But it is not where Aman started from. When asked about what advice he would give to youngsters practicing in small towns and mofussils of Bihar, Aman said, ”My only message to the youngsters would be to focus on the process.” But what is the process that people keep on talking about, especially the sportsmen? Smiling casually he said, “Youngsters at an impressionable age are so much bothered about things like- Oh! This person is playing at such a high level or that person is playing in that league. But as youngsters one should not focus on where the other person is, rather they should make sure that they practice in a singular direction and things would change, if not today then tomorrow for sure.” And ‘things do change’. Aman is probably the best example of how they change. Born in a locality in Gaya, Bihar, Aman wanted to play cricket. He joined Vijeta Cricket Club in the city. A city, which if compared to other places in India, would fall down to the category of a town. Aman’s parents, like any other parents in entire India in the 90s, wanted their child to study. When he should have been preparing to make his way through to age group teams, the Gaya boy joined the Indian Air Force. Shocking as it might be, but he wasn’t forced to do so. So did the Air Force attract him because it gave him a chance to continue playing cricket? Currently a Sergeant in the Indian Air Force, Aman says, “No, I did not have the option to play cricket. I come from a middle-class family and like every middle-class Bihari family, I was told that you have to get a job...so study hard. So just as I passed 12th I got the job.” 'Process matters' isn’t a cliche one-liner that Aman uses, it is rather a life lesson that he has attached to those lines. Because the process did matter. Unaware that the Air Force would give him a chance to play cricket, Aman continued his practice even during the training. “I joined as an Airman (a new recruit is given that rank in IAF) through X category examinations of the Indian Air Force. Luckily I got selected for the Air Force team in the first year itself. Actually, I didn’t know and most people don’t know even now that in the Air Force you are allowed to play cricket. Over there, few senior men saw me practicing and picked me up for the team,” he said. Even after getting picked for the Air Force team in 2004-05, it took him a long time getting into the Services team and even longer to make his debut. To be precise, it took him 10 years to get a List A game in his kitty when he played for the Services in 2014-15 Vijay Hazare Trophy against Delhi. The outing wasn’t a bad one as he was the second-highest scorer for his team. Batting at number nine, the then 28 years old scored 22, which was only less than opener Devender Lochab’s 40. In bowling, he was a bit on the expensive side giving away 46 runs for a solitary wicket of Rajat Bhatia in his 7.4 overs. Services lost that game by three wickets. The story continues... *This story is the first part of a three-part interview of Bihar cricket captain Ashutosh Aman..the other two parts can be read here Interview Part-2 Interview Part-3

Daily Round-up | Jan 8: India dominate Day 2, Steve Smith enters elite club

India have been dominant on the second day of the third Test against Australia in Sydney while Misbah-ul-Haq has explained the reason behind Pakistan’s dismal run in New Zealand. Here are the daily updates from the cricketing world. India dominate day 2 The Indian team held the fort strong at SCG after bundling out Australia for 338 and then began the pursuit on a positive note in the first innings. India were 96/2, trailing by 242 runs with Cheteshwar Pujara and stand-in captain AJinkya Ratane still at the crease. Shubman Gill who opened the innings with Rohit Sharma scored his maiden half-century. Earlier, Steve Smith who was going through a rough patch got his form back and smashed his 27th Test ton. For India, it was Ravindra Jadeja who was pick of the bowlers as he picked up a four-for and hit the bull’s eye to send Smith packing. The four-match series is levelled at 1-1. Misbah-ul-Haq blames bad fielding for NZ loss Pakistan had a dismal run in New Zealand after losing bot the Test away from home. Talking about the defeats, head coach Misbah-ul-Haq has said that the dropped catches were one of the major reasons for the team’s dismal show. “I think the biggest thing in front of us, that we have seen in the past with Pakistan cricket as well, is our dropped chances," the head coach said in a PCB podcast. "I think that has really affected our chances in this series. We missed a lot in both Tests, in which if we had grabbed them, we could have taken the Test further, but we missed them. We need to work on that." The Pakistan team had to suffer a defeat by 101 runs in the first Test while lost the second match by an innings and 176 runs. Queensland is entitled to protect its people and similarly BCCI its players: Gavaskar Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has said that the BCCI has all the right to “protect its players” by seeking a quarantine relaxation ahead of the fourth Test. “The Queensland government is fully entitled to protect its people. Similarly I believe the BCCI is fully entitled to protect its team. I think that’s something we should never forget,” Gavaskar said during commentary on Channel 7. “In Sydney, there are people coming to the ground and then going back and having dinner at a restaurant or having a gathering of 20, 30 people in a pub.” Steve Smith joins elite club Australia batsman Steve Smith scored his 27th Test ton and 8th against India. With this hundred, Smith became the second fastest after Don Bradman to reach 27th ton in Test cricket. He achieved the feat in his 136th innings while Bradman took just 70 innings to do so. The right-handed batsman expressed his joy after completing his ton. “It was nice to come back in the form. It was about two-three weeks ago I think I scored two hundreds at the SCG. It sometimes makes me laugh at people. Missed out on first two matches obviously and came back today and scored some runs to put us in a decent position,” Smith said at the virtual media interaction after the end of Day 2. “Always special, I love playing here at the SCG. It is a great place to bat, my home ground. My mom and dad were here and able to see that. Proud to get the three figures on the board and spend some time out in the middle and help us post a decent total,” he added. Paul Stirling shines Ireland opener Paul Stirling scored a fine hundred against UAE in the first ODI in Abu Dhabi on Friday. Stirling’s knock comprised of 9 fours and four maximums as Ireland completed their 50 overs at 269/5. Apart from Stirling, captain Andy Balbirnie notched up a half-century during the course.