Sreevats Goswami

Calcutta: Bengal are oozing in confidence going into the National One-dayers final for the Vijay Hazare Trophy against Saurashtra in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.

Having led brilliantly from the front throughout the tournament, Laxmi Ratan Shukla insists his team is determined to not stumble at the final hurdle.

“We have been consistently playing well in the tournament. We are keen on finishing it in style,” Laxmi said on the eve of the match.

“We are not putting undue pressure on ourselves and we are going into the final with a positive frame of mind. It will be just another match for us,” the Bengal captain added.

Bengal’s journey from the relegation of Ranji Trophy Elite Plate to the title round is an exceptional story of grit, determination and will power. No one represents this turnaround more dramatically than captain Shukla.

The allrounder’s job was on the line following Bengal’s demotion in the Ranji Trophy. A review committee, formed by the Cricket Association of Bengal following that debacle, questioned his captaincy, as clouds of uncertainty gathered over his cricketing horizon.

Shukla’s sublime reply to his doubters could not come at a better time for his team than during this tournament. If his magnificent 124 was the main reason behind Delhi’s fall in the quarter final, another brilliant 65 made sure defending champions Mumbai’s challenge was duly overcome in the semi-final.

Chasing the target of 250, Bengal romped home after losing just six wickets with 26 balls to spare in the semi-final No.1. Saurashtra set up their date with Bengal beating Vidarbha by five wickets.

“It’s been a good tournament for me and now I hope the law of averages doesn’t catch up with me in the final,” Laxmi said.

Clearly, Bengal seem to have learnt from their past mistakes and coach Bharat Arun’s strategy has been spot-on. One such plan has been to promote off-spinner Sourashish Lahiri to launch the innings with under-19 World Cup-winning wicketkeeper Sreevats Goswami.

Sourashish will again open in the final. “We will stick to the XI which took the field in the semi-final and there will not be any change in our batting order either,” Shukla said.

“We are looking for a target of around 260-270,” he added.

According to the think tank’s reading, the pitch will be good for batting but it may tend to be a bit slower towards the end. Bengal will thus plan to bat first if the spin of the coin favours them.

“We are not taking Saurashtra lightly. They have the Ranji semi-finalist… It’s a different day tomorrow and a different ball game. We have to take a fresh guard,” the Bengal captain said.