February 28, 2018

Cricket Team Preview | HS14

Libin John writes on the prospects of the fourth year (HS14) team for the forthcoming Prem Ranjan Memorial Cricket Tournament.

HS14: THE FLAWLESS(?) FEARLESS WOLF PACK

I wonder if we could imagine a Prem Ranjan memorial cricket tournament without HS14 after couple of years from now on. They became the champions in the very first year the joined the department. They defended the title through their second year until they lost it narrowly to the research scholars in 2017.

CAPTAIN: BANOTH SANTHOSH NAIK

A very able captain who has proved himself by winning the title twice and taking the team to the finals the previous year. Leading the team from the front, he is much known for his hard hitting and ability to score quickly in crucial situations. He is a formidable bowler who can generate good pace with a very short run-up. He had a fantastic campaign last year wrapping up 194 runs at an average of 97 and 4 wickets at a decent economy.

LAST YEAR’S STORY: FINALISTS

HS14 started of their 2017 campaign with an authoritative win over HS16 by a margin of 58 runs. The openers Nityanshu and Santhosh batted till the end to add 151 runs between them making it the highest partnership in the tournament. They also won the second game against HS15 by a good margin of 47 runs. Running into the semis as the group champions did not make things easy for HS14. They had to hold their nerves till they narrowly won the ticket to the finals by winning over HS13 by just 9 runs. HS14 really struggled against two of HS13’s top quality players, Dilip and Sannihit. It was one of the most closely fought games in the tournament. Batting first in all their past three games proved to be a natural advantage when they were able to bat first in their finals against research scholars. But some good quality bowling by the scholars restricted HS14 to a score of under 10 run-rate for the first time in the tournament.

Even after a good opening by the scholars, HS14 was very much in the game as they got wickets at regular intervals against a deep batting line up. However, their inability to trap the opener Anil and their conceding lot of runs as extras cost them to lose the final by just 3 runs.

THE TEAM

HS14 reminds one of Rudyard Kipling’s lines, “For the strength of the wolf is the strength of the pack. For the strength of the pack is the strength of the wolf”. HS14 is a perfect team with good share of batsmen, bowlers and quality all-rounders. Even their last year’s story highlights the fact that all their players, be it batting or bowling, have performed well in terms of numbers. HS14 comes to the ground only after weeks of good-quality practice sessions. They are in the field to enjoy as well as improvise their game every time. They are known for their ability to critically analyse not only their games, but also their opponent’s game. Their batting department is loaded with technique, skill, power, and depth in the line-up. Santhosh, Rakesh, Nityanshu, and Monish are known for their power-hitting. Biyas, Nityanshu, and Monish play their natural game with much technique involved. Aiswarya and Mounika are top-quality players in the history of tournament. Aiswarya is a seasoned cricketer and a multi-sportsperson. Her ability to bowl at a decent pace makes things difficult for the opponent team. Mounika is also known for her sharp and quick bowling. Ammu is their back-up player. The bowling department of HS14 has a lot of variety. Their prime options include Nityanshu, Biyas, Aiswarya, Santhosh, Joseph, Sukruth et cetera. Biyas’s and Nityanshu’s use of off-cutters and Santosh’s sharp and quick bowling never makes things easy for any good team. Discipline is their strength.

PLAYER TO WATCH OUT FOR

Nityanshu is a new find this year as far their bowling department is concerned. Nityanshu has so far played mainly as an attacking opener. With Nityanshu’s improved bowling this year, HS14 would even consider him leading the attack. His off-cutters and bouncers against left-handers and off-cutting short of a good length deliveries against right-handers are likely to be lethal. If HS14 has to go aggressive at the face of their opponents, I would say, Nityanshu should lead the attack both in batting and bowling.