There was a team whose name never changed across years. The team was always called the PhD scholars or just ‘Scholars’, while the years saw arithmetically progressing batch numbers. But hell, what’s in a name, as the bard would ask. So when I came to the department in my first year, I recall that the Scholars were more or less considered a pushover team, albeit having talent in their ranks – teams rejoiced when they got the scholars in their group. But then, sometime around the winter of 2015, the world changed forever. A new batch of scholars had joined, and with them began a remarkable turnaround in the team’s fortunes. By my second year, they had become a force to reckon with, and now, they are formidable, boasting one of the best all-round teams in the tournament, and are one of the favourites in every edition hence, getting to the trophy in 2017.
Last Year’s Story – Semi-finalists.
In their first match, the Scholars defeated HS15, whose batting collapse made things easy for the defending champions. Put into bat, HS15 crumbled to the fast and furious Scholars bowling, with Ranjith, Nishant, Jithin, Sanjeev and Manoj flourishing. Despite some inspired bowling from HS15 later on, the Scholars grabbed the game away. In their second group match, they faced HS16 and topped the group. Anil played a good hand in the match. In the semis, they met HS14, who had lost to them the year before in the finals. After being restricted to 94/9 in 12 overs owing to some great bowling by the Scholars, HS14 famously defended the score and went on to the Final, thanks to Santhosh’s and Nityanshu’s masterful bowling.
The Team.
Scholars are another team with few blemishes. Their batting, bowling, and fielding have been creative and enterprising in the last two years. Manoj, Anil, Jithin, Nishanth, and Ranjith come good in all departments. They are ably complemented by others like Praveen, Shahid, Aniket and so on. The girl bowler conceding a lot of runs has been a concern, but otherwise the lineup holds nice and tight. This time, Ranjith takes over captaincy from Nishanth. A ruthlessly fast bowler, agile fielder and efficient batter, Ranjith always adds a lot of value to the team. Let us see how he fares as the skipper of one of the best Prem Ranjan teams.
Player to Watch Out For.
Nishanth, a skilful bowler, quick wicketkeeper, and a power batsman has relinquished captaincy this year. His tactical knowhow will still be of great value to the team. It would be interesting to watch out for his performance without that added burden. When he was captain, he utilised himself less, be it in the batting or bowling departments. It remains to be seen how Ranjith uses Nishanth’s ability and knowledge for the team.
Final Thoughts.
The Scholars still are one of the most able sporting teams, let alone cricket and Prem Ranjan. They have since won the Football tournament and proved their ability in other sports as well. While their cricketing focus may have reduced, their skills and potential have not. This time, in the group of death with HS14 playing their last tournament, the focus is on this strong team as much as it is on HS14. The Scholars remain one of the favourites and are HS14’s most credible threat on their road to a tournament victory.
Article by Deva Nandan H.
Article 19 