SS Das to lead East Zone Duleep Trophy team

Sports reporter GUWAHATI, Jan 10 – Former Team India Test opener Sib Sundar Das of Orissa will lead the 16-member East Zone team in Duleep Trophy. Disclosing this in a press conference here today, the East Zone convenor and secretary of the Assam Cricket Association Bikash Baruah said, the team was unanimously picked up by the selection committee comprising of Raja Venkat (chairman), Sambaran Banerjee (Bengal), Chira Ranjan Paul (Tripura), Daniel Rout (Orissa), Jodh Singh (Jharkhand) and Nagesh Singh (Assam).Asked why Team India captain M S Dhoni was not selected for the team, Raja Venkat said, Dhoni was intimated about the selection committee meeting but he did not send any reply and anticipating his unwillingness for playing in the Duleep Trophy the selection panel did not prefer to consider his name. The representative from Dhoni’s home association Jharkhand, Jodh Sing said they have no information about the India skipper where he is at the moment.Three Assam players-Rashmi Ranjan Parida, Anand Katti and Krishna Das are in the squad while Sarupam Purukayastha is in the stand bye list. Nagesh Singh of Assam has been named manager of the team. East Zone will play West Zone at Mumbai from January 29. All the selected players have to report at Cuttack on January 24.The team: SS Das (capt), Niranjan Behra, Basant Mohanty, Haladhar Das (all Orissa), Wridhiman Saha (wk), Manoj Tiwary, Ashok Dinda, Ranadeb Bose, Dibyendu Chakraborty (all Bengal), RR Parida (v.c), Anand Katti, Krishna Das (all Assam), Sourav Tiwary (Jharkhand), Nishit Setty, Jayanta Debnath, Tushar Saha (all Tripura). Coach-Utpal Chatterjee, manager-Nagesh Singh. source: assam tribune