A proud moment for N Bengal cricketers
Posted by barunroy on May 22, 2008
SILIGURI, May 21: It was a historic moment in cricket annals of north Bengal when former India cricketer Madan Lal interviewed all-rounder Debabrata Das at the end of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ innings against the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata last evening.
For the first time in the history of the game , a Siliguri boy was honoured with an exclusive TV interview during an official match featuring top international cricketers. After Das played a hurricane knock studded with a four and two sixes, the channel chose to speak to the cricketer because of his “significant contribution” to the Knight Riders’ innings. Lal, who spoke in superlatives about the ability of Das as a cricketer, both before and after the chat, quizzed the right-handed batsman on various aspects of his game and the chances of his team in the tournament as well as against the Rajasthan Royals.
The 21-year-old cricketer was also complimented during the match for his “brilliant performances” by the former Indian vice-captain and coach Ravi Shastri. The man, who was among the first to praise the former Indian captain Saurav Ganguly, months before the Behala cricketer was selected for India’s tour to Australia in 1991, remarked, “He (Das) is a decent cricketer and a good man to have up in the order,” when the Siliguri boy added 24 valuable runs for the fourth wicket with Ganguly.
Shastri also praised wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha – the only other cricketer from Siliguri in the Knight Riders team. The former all-rounder said, “This young keeper has been very impressive,” while commenting on the “brilliant catch,” taken by the 23-year-old gloveman to dismiss the South African captain . [The Statesman]
