'Low scores made me nervous'

The way Soumya Sarkar reacted after he was trapped in front for 84 at Mirpur yesterday was worth the watch. After the umpire raised his finger, he merely stood there for a minute—seemingly disappointed with himself—before forcefully dragging himself off the pitch.

The Legends of Rupganj were cruising at that point and his fall wasn't that big a setback.

However, the 23-year-old had every reason to be disappointed. He had got an opportunity to score a century after a long time but he thwarted it. It was something that he admitted after the match.

“I couldn't score big knocks in the last four games. I got out in the 20s. The ball came on to the bat well in this game and I knew I could have done well here.

“Abahani is a big team and I wanted to score a big one against them. I missed the century because of my own mistake. It would have felt a lot better if I had scored the hundred,” said Soumya.

While he didn't reach the three-figure mark, the left-hander though will be relieved to finally get some runs. Soumya's 84 is the highest score that he has posted since July 2015. This was also only the second time that he managed to cross the 50-run mark in his last 45 outings. Having struggled in the first four games of the league, Soumya admitted that he was a bit nervous leading up to yesterday's game.

“When everyone around you is scoring and you are not, you do feel nervous. When you see the scoreboard, you feel disappointed. I needed to contribute to my team and do something alongside them. I was looking for an opportunity and I am glad I got one. I just hope I can continue the form,” said Soumya.

The national selectors were also happy to see Soumya smack some runs and hit form. According to them, the left-hander was in a mental block and they were happy to see him battling it well. They hope he can score a few more good knocks.