Sanju Samson may need to wait a little longer to return to Kolkata to play a match. The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to postpone the Bengal vs Kerala Ranji Trophy match. With cyclone Dana making its landfall in Kolkata on October 24, West Bengal is bracing for its disastrous impact. The govt has declared holidays for schools and colleges between Oct 23-26.
“The CAB has written to Jay Shah, Honorary Secretary, BCCI to defer the home matches of Senior Bengal and Bengal Under-23 scheduled on October 26th and October 27th respectively by a couple of days as the city is expected to be impacted by Cyclone Dana,” CAB said in a statement.
Bengal vs Kerala Ranji Trophy match was shifted from Kalyani to Jadhavpur University 2nd Campus Ground in Salt Lake. However, with cyclone Dana approaching, the match is under threat. Rain has already started lashing in many parts of West Bengal. And the rain is only set to intensify on Thursday and Friday.
Cyclone Dana threat
Eight districts in West Bengal and some parts of Odisha are under threat of severe rainfall due to Cyclone Dana. A windspeed of 110-120kmph is expected due to the tropical cyclone with devastating impact on livelihood and infrastructure.
After the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a warning, the West Bengal and Odisha governments are evacuating over 10 lakh people.
Bengal vs Kerala Ranji Trophy
Both Bengal and Kerala have had run-ins with the weather this Ranji Trophy season. The Bengal vs Bihar Ranji Trophy match was abandoned in Kalyani without a ball being bowled. Kerala’s match against Karnataka ended in a draw. Only 50 overs of the match was possible in Alur, Bengaluru due to rain. Both teams would also want to get back to winning ways after poor weather affected their Ranji Trophy matches.
Sanju Samson scored an unbeaten 15 against Karnataka before the match had to be called off. Now, he will look to continue his scoring form. However, as rain and poor weather conditions threaten the Bengal vs Kerala match, Sanju Samson may have to wait for the opportunity.
Kerala’s superstar who captains Rajasthan Royals in IPL is eying a spot in India’s Test team after slamming his maiden T20I ton against Bangladesh.
“I have been dreaming of playing Test cricket since childhood. I don’t say this much; I keep it in my mind, but I have always wanted to play Test cricket for my country. So let’s see what’s ahead,” Sanju Samson told YouTuber Vimal Kumar in a recent interview.