Local League: Shijith credits collective effort for Plate Division triumph

“At no point did we doubt our ability. We had utmost faith in our potential and the fact that we performed consistently in all our matches leading into the final gave us the momentum and confidence. We won two matches outright and came close to winning another two in the league phase and we were peaking at the right time. I’m glad that our hard work has been rewarded,” said Shijith.

Shijith said the loss to Vijay CC in the final of the VA Parthasarathy ODI trophy earlier this season sparked a turnaround. “We were upset after losing that final but that gave us the belief that we could match any team in all departments and were not inferior. The team gelled well and every individual contributed to this success,” added the skipper, who scored 66 in the final. 

According to Shijith, winning the toss was a crucial factor in the match’s outcome. “The toss was key since the wicket was at its best for batting on the first day. From the second day onwards, runs were tough to come as the pitch gradually became sluggish and the bounce was variable. Batsmen had to be patient and get their eye in before looking for scoring opportunities. This is where our bowlers stuck to their task well. All they had to do was pitch the ball in the right areas and make run-scoring difficult which they succeeded in doing,” explained Shijith.

The Alwarpet captain had high words of praise for all-rounder Abhishek Tanwar and batsman Swapnil Gugale, who scored an unbeaten 211 in the final. “Swapnil has been a brilliant performer for us and so has Abhishek. There was nothing in the pitch to encourage his style of bowling, yet Abhishek bowled an economical spell where he gave away only 21 runs from 18 overs and also claimed three wickets. A lot of credit goes to him,” remarked Shijith. Gugale, for his part, scored in excess of 700 runs — comprising three hundreds and a double century — at an astounding average of 70.30. 

Meanwhile, Alwarpet coach, R Jesuraj, said the fact his team played all its league matches at neutral venues gave it a distinct edge over Rovers, which played its matches at its home in Chemplast. “We were able to adapt easily since we didn’t have a home venue. Rovers took some time getting used to the wicket at Guru Nanak. Our team was led outstandingly well by Shijith. We weren’t scared of Rovers although it had Ranji Trophy players in its ranks and we dominated them from the outset,” opined the coach. 

Jesuraj singled out young leftarm spinner M Siddharth, 20, for making his presence felt in his first season for Alwarpet. “He played for Young Stars CC last year and for someone so young, he displayed maturity beyond his years. I was impressed with his performance and in particular his knack of taking wickets in big matches. He repaid my faith this year by taking 52 wickets with four five-wicket hauls and at an incredible average of 19.94,” praised Jesuraj.