Shukla all smiling (20 August 1999)

20 August 1999

Shukla all smiling

From Our Correspondent

CALCUTTA, Aug 19: Fortune finally smiled on Laxmi Ratan Shukla, the young cricket hopeful from the West Bengal.

When the team for the triangular series in Sri Lanka and Singapore had been announced Star TV had mistakenly put the aspiring all-rounder's name in the squad. An error that left the young man depressed.

However, it seems that Shukla has been destined to make the trip. The sudden injury to all-rounder Ajit Agarkar has once more opened up a new vista of hopes for him. Shukla knows that he will have to make the most of the unlikely opportunity.

Talking at the Calcutta Airport Wednesday morning before his departure to Chennai, he said, "I could not believe when the news was conveyed by the Cricket Association of Bengal. It is God's blessings. I had played two matches for the country. But (I) had done nothing to show that I deserved a place in the side. Now if I get the opportunity to figure in the playing eleven, I will definitely try to retain my place."

He knows that unless he does something extraordinary, Agarkar will come back into the side at his expense. "It's not that I will have to perform with the ball. I will have to do so with the bat also."

The 19-year old cricketer is not at all nervous to face the challenge. "I have bowled to the likes of Saeed Anwar, Sahid Afridi, Moin Khan and Inzamumul Huq. So, I am aware of what international cricket is all about. All I need is a bit of luck. If I get that I will be able to satisfy the thousands of cricket followers in the country."

Source :: The Bangladesh Daily Star (https://www.dailystarnews.com)