Former India international and Goa’s new Ranji coach Dinesh Mongia expressed confidence of a good performance by the Goan cricket team ahead of the new Ranji season that begins on 11 October 2024.
Goa had a disastrous last Ranji season wherein the Goan side finished 31 among 32 teams and was relegated to the Plate division.
It was a forgettable season for Goa. The Goan side lost five out of their seven games, losing to Tripura, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Railways and Gujarat with two matches ending in a draw against minnows Chandigarh and mighty Karnataka.
Mongia is aware of this fact. “I took this job as a challenge. I am aware that Goa as a team has come down and has been relegated to the Plate division. It is important to start the season well. My main goal would be to get Goa back to the Elite group. For that, we all have to work hard and top the Plate division”, he said.
Among batters, Suyash Prabhudesai was the lone bright spot for Goa during last Ranji season. The opener, who plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL, scored 687 runs including three centuries against Chandigarh (197), Karnataka (143) and Tamil Nadu (104). Captain Darshan Misal with 31 wickets including two 5-wicket haul and Mohit Redkar with 23 wickets were the other top performers for Goa.
Among outstation players, Krishnamurthy Siddharth scored 467 runs including a century while Arjun Tendulkar scored 258 runs and took 9 tickets in 11 innings.
Mongia, who represented India in 57 ODIs and a solitary T20I from 2001 – 2007 served as the coach of Odisha during last season.
He believes that Goa has some amazing talent. However, overall improvement is needed as a team.
He said, “Goan cricketers have a lot of potential; There are some talented bunch of senior and junior players in the side. These cricketers have the ability to enhance their skill. The boys are hardworking and their attitude is also good. My job is to educate them, motivate them and try to get the best result out of them.“
“Players like Suyash, Arjun have played in the IPL. Playing in the IPL has given them a lot of confidence and exposure. I hope they will bring their IPL learning and exposure to Goa cricket, give some really good performances and take Goan cricket higher,” Mongia added.
Goa has been placed along with Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim in the Ranji Plate group this season.
Goa will open their campaign against Manipur on October 11, followed by Sikkim (October 18), Nagaland (October 26), Mizoram (November 06) and Arunachal Pradesh (November 13).
The winner of Plate division will progress to the Elite group for the next Ranji season.
