OCA sends 30-member Odisha cricket team to Sri Lanka on exposure visit

The Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) in Cuttack sent a group of 30 cricketers on an exposure tour to Sri Lanka on Tuesday. The contingent includes players from the senior Ranji Trophy team, as well as members from the under-23 and under-19 categories.

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The international tour is designed basically to provide these budding cricket players with valuable experience by competing against players of international calibre and engaging in matches overseas, according to an OCA official.

The team will remain in Sri Lanka for a month, during which they are scheduled to face the Sri Lankan national side along with several junior squads. This initiative aims to deliver substantial learning opportunities and furnish the 30 players with significant international exposure.

Cricketers appreciate the exposure tour

“Definitely, this is a big opportunity for all of us, especially the younger ones. Odisha is organising this tour for the first time, and we will have exposure to different wickets and under different conditions,” a player from the contingent, Sandeep Pattnayak, said.

“This visit will certainly benefit the cricketers to perform well in events like the Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy in the future. We will also get to play one-day cricket there against different bowlers. It will help us a lot,” Sandeep Pattnayak stated.

“After long years, we got an exposure visit. Last time a group was sent to Australia and I feel they had learnt a lot from the tour, which had helped them in enhancing their performances in domestic cricket,” another player from the contingent, Subranshu Senapati, opined.

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“They (OCA authorities) have chosen a good team, and this exposure will help them in future state-level cricket matches,” Subranshu Senapati added.