Cricket unites corporate bodies

BHUBANESWAR: Though they have different job profiles, age and background, the love for cricket has brought them together. Some such cricket lovers have joined hands to organize the inaugural IIMT-TCS Invitation Cup Cricket Tournament, with an aim to provide a platform to cricketers.
The initiative has been taken by Institute of Minerals and Material Technology (IMMT) and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to take cricket to another level in the state.
"We felt the need for a more constructive, structured cricket tournament to provide a platform to both professional and amateur players. So, we decided to have an invitation cup, to be played during weekends," said Manoj Choudhury, head, new growth markets, banking and financial services unit of TCS.
The league matches between eight teams divided into two groups started five weeks ago on the IMMT ground. Group A comprises teams like BSNL, OPTCL, Odisha Veterans and TCS while group B comprises teams like IMMT, IIT, NISER and TCS-A. Each match is a 40-over one-day while the final match will be a two-day match in Test format.
"Though lots of cricket is played in India, but they are either very professional or completely recreational. Besides, access to infrastructure for cricket players is very limited in our state. So this is a unique opportunity to develop our skills and enjoy serious cricket," said Banoj Kumar Das, captain of the BSNL team.
The star attractions of the tournament are many former and present Ranji players of Odisha like Amaresh Mohanty, Pravanjan Mullick, Niranjan Behera, Sanjay Satpathy, Bikas Pati, Tukuna Sahu, BBCC Mohapatra and Sujan Mohanty. While many players of corporate houses have represented their college and university teams and some of them have also played county cricket in the UK.
"This is a great initiative and unique platform for cricket lovers. We have to become physically fit to play 40-over match and require lots of skill and preparedness. Moreover it's a good learning experience for us," said Abdul Sheikh, scientist at IMMT.
Ranji player Niranjan Behera, who is a member of BSNL squad, said, "If we get to play more such tournaments before Ranji matches, it will help in improving our performance." He scored 41 runs off 64 balls during a league match against OPTCL on Sunday.