Sport
-
Cricket
India stars may liven up Ranji quarterfinals
CHENNAI, FEB. 4. It's time for the `knock-out' punches in the knock-out stage. And for a change, the India stars, back in the domestic circuit, may be the ones to deliver them. Interesting duels are on the cards in the five-day Ranji Trophy quarterfinals, that get underway at the various venues, on February 5.
Holder Baroda takes on Hyderabad in what should be an engrossing tussle at the Gujarat State Fertilisers Corporation ground. The home team's form has been rather uneven this season, yet the side has an incisive attack of pacemen Zaheer Khan and Rashid Patel and left-arm spinner Valmik Buch, backed by the wily Nayan Mongia behind the stumps. Skipper Jacob Martin too will have a key role to perform in batting. Hyderabad will rely on skipper V.V.S. Laxman's exquisite stroke-making skills, and left-arm spinner Venkatapathy Raju's experience. And opener Daniel Manohar has been in fine nick this season.
Last year's runner-up Railways meets Tamil Nadu at Delhi's Karnail Singh Stadium. Batsmen Amit Pagnis and Yere Goud, all-rounder Sanjay Bangar, paceman Harvinder Singh and left-arm spinner Murali Kartik are vital in Railways' scheme of things.
For the Robin Singh-led Tamil Nadu side, S. Sriram and S. Sharath are the in-form batsmen, while tall young paceman L. Balaji has been outstanding in his debut Ranji season. The team should be bolstered by Hemang Badani's return after India duty.
India captain Sourav Ganguly, if his fitness holds good, will turn out under Rohan Gavaskar during Bengal's clash with this season's surprise packet Gujarat at the Eden Gardens. Bengal has batting might, but lacks sting in bowling. Gujarat does not boast of big names, but has, importantly, performed as a well-knit unit this season.
Punjab starts as favourite against Orissa at Mohali. The presence of Dinesh Mongia, Yuveraj Singh and Pankaj Dhramani suggests Punjab possesses batting strength, while ace off-spinner Harbhajan Singh's return will add teeth to the attack. Orissa will rely on the innings-building skills of Shiv Sundar Das and the swing bowling of Debasis Mohanty, who might relish the conditions at Mohali.
Ranji Trophy Quarterfinals (Feb. 5 to 9): Baroda vs Hyderabad (Baroda), Railways vs Tamil Nadu (Delhi), Bengal vs Gujarat (Kolkata), Punjab vs Orissa (Mohali).
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Sport
|
