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Baroda boosted by Irfan’s return

Principal Correspondent

VADODARA: Andhra, facing the threat of relegation, takes on Baroda in the last match of the Super League Group ‘B’ encounter at the Motibaug Stadium here from Thursday. Andhra has three points from five outings and is on the verge of losing its coveted place in the Super League.

The repeated failure of Andhra’s top-order batsmen to post big totals has been the main reason for the dismal show. Barring a couple of performances — opener H.H. Watekar’s 142 against Maharashtra and A.G. Pradeep’s unbeaten 101 against Uttar Pradesh — the Andhra batsmen have not been able to string up partnerships at crucial junctures.

Not clicking

Last year’s prolific scorer, opener L.N. Prasad Reddy, has not been in his element. Nothing has gone right for skipper Gnaneswara Rao and A.S.K. Varma either. Gnaneswara has stitched up just two fifties, against Indian Railways and Tamil Nadu.

The absence of an experienced spinner and a genuine all-rounder has also not helped Andhra’s cause. With the 20-year-old off-spinner G.V.S. Prasad injuring his bowling finger before the start of the season, the responsibility fell on part-time spinner Watekar and leg-spinner M. Suresh.

“Our batting has failed to live up to the expectations. Despite eight batsmen in the line-up, we have failed to put up a good total on the board. This is a do-or-die battle and we are aiming to go for an outright win,” said Andhra coach M.V. Narasimha Rao.

Confident

Baroda, which has nine points, is confident despite the dramatic defeat against Tamil Nadu a few days ago at the same venue. After taking the lead, Baroda collapsed for 94 in less than 25 overs in its second innings.

Baroda would be keen to make use of its home conditions and the return of India international Irfan Pathan who missed the game against Tamil Nadu due to a hamstring injury will boost its chances. He will replace left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh.

A determined Pathan spent a few hours at the nets and looked comfortable. “We want to forget the Tamil Nadu match and focus on this one. There is something in the wicket for the bowlers. If they bend their backs, they will succeed,” said Baroda coach Paras Mhambery.

The teams (from):

Baroda: Connor Williams (Capt.), Yusuf Pathan, Azhar Bilakhia, Rakesh Solanki, Satyajit Parab, Irfan Pathan (Jr), Rajesh Pawar, Pinal Shah, Ajitesh Argal, Salim Yeragi, Irfan Pathan (Sr.), Shatrunjay Gaekwad, Sankalp Vohra, Utkarsh Patel and Rubin Dalwadi; Coach: Paras Mhambrey.

Andhra: Gnaneswara Rao (Capt.), Hemal Watekar, L.N. Prasad Reddy, A.S.K. Varma, B. Sumanth, A.G. Pradeep, Manoj Sai, Prabhu Kiran, M. Suresh, Kalyan Krishna, P. Vijay Kumar, G.V.S. Prasad, A. Veerababu, T. Achuth Rao and G.V. Sharath Babu; Coach: M. V. Narasimha Rao.

Umpires: Suhas Phadkar and Umesh Dubey; Match Referee: Rajendra Jadeja.

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