As a youngster, growing up in Shillong, Akash Choudhary dreamed of playing in Mumbai someday. Back then, he of course, had no idea that he would eventually lead the Meghalaya side in a Ranji Trophy fixture against the domestic giant.

So, when he walks out for the toss at the MCA-BKC ground on Thursday, it will be an emotional moment for Choudhary.

“We have played white-ball cricket against Mumbai before, but this will be a different experience altogether. It’s a huge challenge for all of us, but we also look at it as a learning experience,” the young fast bowler said.

ALSO READ | Bolstered by the inclusion of KL Rahul, Karnataka eyeing win with bonus point to boot

While it’s a must-win fixture for Mumbai, for the bottom-placed Meghalaya too, it will be a challenge to avoid relegation from the Elite group.

“We will play to our strengths, and try to put up a fight,” Choudhary said, adding: “We are here to try and win a game, and not just stand and watch. Yes, we are a new team, but it’s an opportunity for us to prove our mettle. You never know  kaun kis ko hara dete hain…”

Having lost all its six group league fixtures, Choudhary hopes that his team can at least take the game onto the final day.

“In our team, not many have played more than 20 first-class games, and the pressure also mounts on the guest players. But we don’t want to over-reliant on the guest players and back our home-grown talents,” the captain said.

Mumbai’s Ranji team
| Photo Credit:
PTI

Meghalaya, along with the other teams from the Northeast, has been playing BCCI-affiliated tournaments since 2018 and despite the challenges, it has slowly been able to produce young talents.

“Since it rains for most part of the year in Meghalaya, we have difficulty in training and hence, we often travel elsewhere to train. But with the help of the state association, we have been able to develop an infrastructure,” he said.

Despite it being a football-dominated state, cricket has slowly drawn the attention of its youth and as the team plays more games against quality opponents, it will allow more youngsters to take up the sport.

“Not many of us have jobs, and cricket is our only livelihood. We are passionate about the game and the more we play, the better we will get,” Choudhary said.

A few years ago, the Meghalaya players had an interaction with Mumbai Ajinkya Rahane and back then, the India international had passed on a few suggestions to the young cricketers, and Choudhary believes that his team will be looking to put those suggestions into practice when action gets underway.

As the captain puts it, “We want to soak in every moment, learn new things from this game and eventually grow as a team…”