Nagpur, Jan 5
The performances of Vidarbha's opening left-handed batsman Atharva Taide in the recently held Syed Mushtaq Ali T2-20 Trophy and then Vijay Hazare One-Day Trophy has impressed all the eight IPL franchises. As a result, the Akola -based batter has attended their trials.
It can be mentioned here that Taide scored total 270 runs in seven matches with an average of 54 and strike rate of 137.05 in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy also he batted well and grabbed the attention by scoring 345 runs in seven matches with an average of 57.50. Against Andhra Pradesh he single-handedly slammed 164 and became the top scorer for Vidarbha in the one-day format. This feat has helped him to catch the attention of IPL franchises. Taide has been giving the trials for Mumbai Indians for last four years but this is for the first time that all the eight IPL franchises have invited him for the trials.
Speaking with Lokmat Times Taide who at present attending the trials of Mumbai Indians said, “ This year all the eight IPL franchises have invited me for the trials. My recent performances in limited over cricket may be the reason.”
This year IPL mega auction will take place likely in the first week of February and the inclusion of two more teams IPL will give more opportunity to the youngsters.
Asked about it Taide who has played for Lancaster county said, “ I can think about my selection by one of the IPL franchises but can't give you a guarantee. I have given the trials. Let's see what happens.”
At the junior level also Taide was very impressive. He became the only player to make a triple century in the Cooch Behar final after dashing Yuvraj Singh He was the highest run-scorer in India and I was selected to play the Asia Cup in Malaysia where he scored 177 against Sri Lanka.