Uttarakhand to play first Ranji match today

DEHRADUN: Eighteen years after being carved out of Uttar Pradesh,

Uttarakhand

is set to play its first Ranji Trophy match at the newly-built

Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket stadium

in

Dehradun

on Thursday. The state will face Bihar in its maiden match.

Addressing media persons on Wednesday, Uttarakhand team’s captain Rajat Bhatia said that the team has been preparing for the opportunity for months and practise sessions at the home ground always has its own advantage. “Our team is quite talented and we will go far in the tournament,” Bhatia said.

The state had earlier played the Vijay Hazare trophy but didn’t qualify for the second round.

For the Ranji Trophy, Uttarakhand has been placed in Group C, along with Bihar, Puducherry and six other north-eastern states.