Siddharth Trivedi lauds Senior men’s cricket team’s consistency ahead of Vijay Hazare Trophy Plate Group final

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jan 5 : Ahead of the Vijay Hazare Trophy Plate Group final, the Head Coach of the Manipur Senior Men's Cricket Team Siddharth Trivedi has heaped praises over the team’s consistency and exuded confidence in his boys.
Siddharth Trivedi has led the Manipur team to Ranji Trophy Plate Group final earlier this season before the State team sealed the historic Vijay Hazare Trophy Plate Group final berth by finishing league runners up on January 3.
In a telephonic conversation with The Sangai Express, the Head Coach emphasized on the team's consistent performance, and expressed his desire to see "them keep following the process".
“The way they have prepared, their effort, and commitment in each game is exceptional,” he said.
“They understand the team's plan, their requirements, and whenever the need arises, they do what they do best to take the team to victory. The boys have adapted very well, and I'm sure if they keep following this process, they will go a long way ahead,” he added.
When asked about the strategy going into the final against Bihar tomorrow, he shared that his game plan- leveraging strengths in batting, bowling, and fielding, are working just fine.
“The boys are doing consistently well in all the three departments, and if we execute the same plans in batting, bowling, and fielding, the result will take care of itself,” he said.
“The league round clash against Bihar was also a very close one as they scored 285. But, we were unfortunate. We fell short by 15 runs,” he noted.
He also accepted the fact that Bihar is a "strong team", but exuded confidence in his boys' abilities.
“No doubt Bihar is a strong side, but if you see the type of cricket our boys are playing, that too in absence of any professional player, is very commendable,” he said.
“Saving Bihar, Manipur have defeated all the other teams which had at least three professionals,” he said.
“In any game, the team that plays better wins the trophy. It's not about who is strong and who is weak. We just need to play the best of our cricket in the tournament,” he added.
When asked whether there are any specific players in Bihar’s line up he would like the team to keep an eye out for, the Coach said, "there is specific focus on some individual players in their line up."
He however expressed his trust in Manipur’s "strong" bowling line up.
“We have a good bowling side. On two occasions, we have bowled the opposition out in 45 overs. This shows the strength of our bowling lineup and our bowlers are consistent,” he said.
“Not only one, but all key bowlers are all performing well. We have seen captain Bishworjit taking two hat tricks in the season. Our spinner, Kishan, took five. And, Jyotin has been in the pick of the wickets as well. So, I think we have a very good bowling side that can not only restrict run, but bowl Bihar out,” he said.
On the advice he would like to give to the players ahead of the high stake game, the Coach said, "The team must treat it as just another game."
“If you say "final", then pressure comes in. But, when you treat it as yet another game, the pressure vanishes, and there is order. The mantra for the team is to do well in all the three departments as they have been doing consistently, and just put up a good show and enjoy,” he said.
On the impact of reaching the Ranji final, he said reaching finals has helped the State players get recognition and exposure, and chance to play with elite teams.
“The team is obviously pumped up following the Ranji Trophy final qualification,” he said.
“In order to get maximum exposure, the team has to reach the elite level. I'm hearing a lot of praises for the team for playing exceptional cricket this year. This means they have made their mark,” he said.
“It's just one game away, and if we win this game, we'll see Manipur competing with the elite teams next year,” he added.