Kathmandu – Nepal will face Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir in one of the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) teams playing against them during the national team’s 10-day New Delhi tour.
“The Indian Opener will be leading one of the DDCA team during Nepal’s Delhi tour”, Sanjeev Pandey, member of Cricket Association of Nepal(CAN) informed to The Himalayan Times.
Pandey is also a member of High Performance Programme(HPP) Committee formed for Nepal’s preparation for ICC World Twenty20 and ICC World Cup Qualifiers.
Since national team is visiting India in an official tour for the first time, Pandey said that Nepal will get competitive teams during their Delhi tour. “Following our recent agreement with DDCA and Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA), we have been assured of getting quality teams which we hope will be very fruitful in our bid to prepare the national team for the two Qualifiers,” said Pandey.
Nepal will be playing against the DDCA teams at the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium on October 20 before playing four more matches. “We will also play two matches against Indian Railways team at their home ground,” said Pandey.
According to Pandey, DDCA will provide two other teams after evaluating the level of cricket Nepal are going to play in the first five matches. “We have been told that they (DDCA) cannot provide strong teams straight away so the next team(s) will be decided after how we fare in our first five matches,” informed Pandey.
Nepal’s Delhi tour comes under the HPP which has already brought Australian batting coach Chris Harris and two Sri Lankan fast bowlers. Harris has already begun his work with the national team and is leaving on October 11.
Two Sri Lankan bowlers have already arrived here with two more to come so as to make the Nepali batsmen accustom with the pace conditions. After the Delhi tour, the Nepali team will return home by October 30 before leaving for the Twenty20 Qualifiers at the United Arab Emirates.
Source: The Himalayan Times National Daily
