MUMBAI: With the BCCI having scheduled the Cooch Behar Trophy (for Under-19 boys) knockouts, which were halted in January due to the third Covid-19 wave, next month, Mumbai's selectors could be left facing a huge dilemma.
While Mumbai are almost set to play in the Col CK Nayudu Trophy (for U-25) quarterfinals at Ahmedabad from March 12-15, they will play their Cooch Behar Trophy (for U-19) quarterfinal against Rajasthan at Kolkata from April 18. "The one good thing is that there's no issue of quarantining now. So, a player can technically take part in both the matches," said a source.
It has left the selectors with a headache on which player to pick for which team. "It will be a happy headache to have, and this reflects our solid bench strength," Mumbai chief selector and former India pacer Salil Ankola told TOI on Thursday.
"It's a thing to rejoice for Mumbai cricket. While our senior (already in Ranji knockouts) and Under-19 teams have already made it to the quarterfinals, the Under-25 side too will hopefully make it to the quarterfinals tomorrow. This has happened after a long time," Ankola said.
However, there are some boys who've done very well in both the BCCI's U-19 and U-25 tournament. For example, someone like a Musheer Khan has done extremely well for Mumbai in both the Cooch Behar Trophy (for Under-19) and the Col CK Nayudu Trophy (for U-25), where, with 401 runs in three games, he's the highest run-getter of the tournament. Musheer is 17, while Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 16, scored a fifty and a hundred in his first two U-25 games.
