Vijay Hazare Trophy | Uttarakhand are here to win the tournament, says Unmukt Chand

In a bid to turn his career around, India's U19 World Cup winning captain and forgotten man Unmukt Chand took a major decision last month to play for Uttarakhand in the forthcoming domestic season, ditching his home state Delhi. Last season, Uttarakhand narrowly missed out on qualifying for the quarter-finals of the country's premier domestic one-day competition by finishing second behind Bihar in the Plate group, but made quite the reputation for themselves with their strong and sturdy performances.

However, Chand believes that this time around, they will enter the competition with one sole goal in their mind - to win the competition. The 26-year-old believes that his team has the right men and the right combinations to do sufficient damage and is confident of putting up a great showing in the competition.

“We’re not here to participate; we’re here to win the tournament. People may think of us as underdogs but we don’t care," Chand told Sportstar on Tuesday.

"We’ve got the right armoury, we’ve got the right people. We’ve got the right combinations. I’m really looking forward to having a great tournament. First, yes, tomorrow’s game, and then, the league phase,” he added.

Appointed as captain, the former Delhi man will have his task cut out in managing the players and putting things into place, but believes that with time, the boys would gel quickly. He also feels that the key would be to adapt and learn from their mistakes, going forward.

“The boys are new, so it’s got to take some time. One thing is playing matches together and it’s one thing to have practice matches together.

"In the coming matches, we’re going to see more of each other. Make mistakes, learn and get better. So, it’s more about how quickly we adapt to situations because that’s going to be the key,” he said.

Chand further went on to praise the camaraderie within the team and hopes that he would be able to bring the truckload of experience he has on the table and help his team in every way possible. 

"If I could help in batting or use my experiences in how we can get the batsman out, for the bowlers. And keeping, I’ve done quite a bit of keeping for Delhi as well, so, I’m being trying to be around the boys as much as I can.

"On the field, if I can contribute in various ways; off the field, we have been having a good time, we’re together the whole day, so it’s making a lot of difference. We’ve been hanging out; going out as well. Good thing is that the whole team is together,” he concluded.