26-Oct-2008 111
Unwanted in home state Orissa, Rashmi Ranjan Parida was made captain of the Assam Ranji Trophy team at Guwahati today.
Former Orissa skipper Parida will lead his adopted state in the Ranji Trophy Plate (Group-B), involving Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Vidarbha and Services.
After serving Orissa for 14 years, Parida changed his allegiance to Assam earlier this year after he was dropped from his home state`s Ranji team last year.
The 31-year-old Parida probably became the first Orissa cricketer to lead two states in the National championship.
A classy right-hand middle-order batsman, wicket-keeper and leg-break bowling occasionally, Parida`s First Class career spans 88 matches, 143 innings, 16 not-outs, 5,830 runs, average 45.90, highest score 220, 13 hundreds, 33 fifties and 84 catches.
His List-A figures include 50 matches, 45 innings, 1,439 runs, one century (106 not out) and 10 fifties.
Fondly known as `Teddy`, Parida led Orissa in Ranji Trophy for three seasons. Under his captaincy, Orissa won the East Zone one-day tournament for the first time in 1999-2000.
Speaking to this paper from Guwahati, Parida said helping Assam book a berth in the Elite group would be the first target. ``Assam has two experienced players in Jocob Martin and Anand Kati. The team also features some talented youngsters. I will try my best to help the team secure a place in the Elite league,`` said Parida, a senior traffic assistant with Air India at Bhubaneswar.
Assam will start their 2008-09 Ranji campaign against Bengal on November 3.
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