The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Onus will be on Delhi batsmen

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 23, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Onus will be on Delhi batsmen

Special Correspondent

The wicket comes across as a sporting track
Parthiv Patel upbeat about Gujarat’s prospects

VALSAD: The absence of bite in Delhi’s bowling resources so far in Ranji Trophy Elite Group A matches puts the onus on the experienced batsmen. They need to prop up the team with runs, until the likes of paceman Pradeep Sangwan and leg-spinner Chetanya Nanda bare their fangs in the fourth round match against Gujarat beginning here on Sunday.

Aakash Chopra and Shikhar Dhawan, followed by Mithun Manhas at one drop represent a formidable mix of hard-nosed batsmen capable of playing the waiting game. Delhi will be hoping that at least two of them spend a long time at the crease.

The Sardar Patel stadium wicket comes across as a sporting track, making for an engrossing contest.

Dahiya’s take

Coach Vijay Dahiya is clear the time for batsmen to perform has come. “The onus is on our batsmen to ensure we take the initiative. I want Shikhar Dhawan to fire,” said the Delhi coach. Ashish Nehra is ruled out due to injury and all-rounder Rajat Bhatia is not available due to personal reasons.

Gaurav Chhabra will take Bhatia’s place and the Delhi management is thinking of playing him at number three and asking Manhas to strengthen the middle-order in case the team decides to bat first. The absence of Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli is felt, and Dahiya sees this as an opportunity for others to grab the chance.

Delhi is the Elite champion, facing Gujarat the Plate winner last season. Dahiya looks at the local team, captained by Parthiv Patel, with respect. “We are in a tough group and will approach the match against Gujarat just as we would against any other Elite side.”

Gujarat’s options

For Gujarat, off-spinner Mohnish Parmar, under scrutiny for his action, possesses the skill and attitude to make life difficult for batsmen. Leg-break bowler Timil Patel is a handy option. The inclusion of India U-19 fast bowler Ishwar Choudhary is a clue to the nature of the wicket, supporting new ball bowlers Siddharth Trivedi and Ashraf Makda.

Parthiv Patel is upbeat about his team’s prospects. “We are nicely placed after three rounds. The batsmen focused on staying at the wicket against Hyderabad and it worked, lifting the team performance. We hope to keep doing that in the remaining matches,” he said.

The teams:

Delhi: Aakash Chopra (Capt.), Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Tehlan, Gaurav Chhabra, Mithun Manhas, Punit Bisht, Sumeet Narwal, Pradeep Sangwan, Chetanya Nanda, Parvinder Awana, Yogesh Nagar.

Gujarat: Parthiv Patel (Capt.), Priyank Panchal, Nilesh Modi, Niraj Patel, Bhavik Thaker, Sunny Patel, Timil Patel, Ashraf Makda, Mohnish Parmar, Siddharth Trivedi, Ishwar Choudhary.

Umpires: A. Dandekar, S. Bandekar; Match referee: Sunil Gudge.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport