Indore, December 28
A win away from their maiden Ranji Trophy title, Vidarbha are ready to face a battle-hardened Delhi in the final beginning here tomorrow. Delhi will take the field as favourites, though Vidarbha, given their fantastic run this season, are certain to put up a stiff challenge. “We are focused on the job at hand. We know we will have to play really well to win the match,” Delhi skipper Rishabh Pant said on the eve of the match.
Delhi will rely heavily on their seasoned opener Gautam Gambhir, who has played a crucial role in the team’s progress to the final. While he smashed a crucial 95 in the fourth innings in the quarterfinal against Madhya Pradesh, he cracked a game-changing century against Bengal in the semifinal. His opening partner Kunal Chandela, too, struck a century in the semifinal. In the middle-order, Nitish Rana has been rock solid for Delhi. Pant, who has been given the reins of the team in the absence of Ishant Sharma, has had an average season, so he would be desperate to get some runs in the biggest game of the season.
As for Delhi’s bowling, Navdeep Saini, the 25-year-old pacer, has been a consistent wicket-taker. His seven-wicket haul against Bengal in the semifinal contributed in a big way to his team’s win. Left-arm pacer Kulwant Khejroliya and left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra are also in good form.
As for Vidarbha, skipper Faiz Fazal (843 runs) and his opening partner Sanjay Ramaswamy (735 runs at an average 66.81) are among the top run-getters this season. If they manage to chip in with substantial knocks one more time, Vidarbha will have a good chance to lift their maiden Ranji title. In their bowling department, much of the focus would be on pacer Rajneesh Gurbani, who destroyed the star-studded Karnataka batting line-up in the semifinal. Vidarbha would hope for an encore from him against Delhi. — PTI
from The Tribune http://ift.tt/2DyVfFL
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