Shukla

Calcutta: Bengal open their Ranji Trophy Super League group B campaign against Maharashtra in Pune on Tuesday.

The four-day tie, to be played at the Pune Sports Club ground, is the Laxmi Ratan Shuklas’ chance to turn the tide after a dismal start to the season.

Having come a cropper in the Moin-ud Dowlah and the JP Atray tournaments, the team also failed to justify their reputation in the East Zone Twenty20 meet in Dhanbad.

None of the Bengal players, except Rohan Gavaskar, and that too more than a decade ago, has experience of playing at the venue. Bengal had previously played their away matches against Maharashtra at the Nehru Stadium.

“The wicket is hard and the toss will be crucial… The pacers will get some advantage in the first two days… The opening session could decide the course of the match,” said a member of the team management.

Bengal have packed their team with batsmen, deciding to play two pacers, Ranadeb Bose and Ashok Dinda and, two spinners, Sourashish Lahiri and Shib Sagar Singh.

Sourashish, who missed last season with injury, will be making a comeback of sorts. Shib Sagar pipped Iresh Saxena because of his ability with the bat.

“I think with batsmen like Deep Dasgupta, Manoj Tiwary and Avishek Jhunjhunwala batting first will be a good decision,” Shukla said.

Coach Roger Binny, who lost his mother last week, is yet to join the team.

Shukla sounded confident on the eve of the opener. “Everybody is in great shape… Actually the last 10 days of practice have been very good for us. It has changed the spirit of the team totally.”

The Bengal captain was all praises for the ground. “The ground seems to be a very good one. The outfield is fast… I am very positive. What we need is to stay focused and play positively. Everybody needs to play his part… Everybody has certain responsibilities and knows what role to play,” Shukla explained.

Moisture will be a factor in the morning. But the organisers have promised to use the super sopper before start of play.

Maharashtra surprised all by naming a young squad for the opening match. The 16-man side is led by 21-year-old Harshad Khadiwale who has played just 18 first class games so far. The India under-19 all-rounder has been roped in by the Kolkata Knight Riders this season.

The side also includes promising left-arm pacer Samad Fallah.

The home team has a high profile coach in Australian Shaun Williams who has worked with the Bangladesh national team.

In other group A matches, holders Mumbai, who are gunning for their 39th title, take on hosts Punjab in Chandigarh while Tamil Nadu take on Railways in Delhi. Hyderabad host Himachal Pradesh and Orissa meet Gujarat in Ahmedabad.

In group B, Delhi visit Baroda, while Uttar Pradesh host Karnataka.

TEAMS

Bengal (likely): Deep Dasgupta, Arindam Das, Wriddhiman Saha, Manoj Tiwary, Rohan Gavaskar, Laxmi Ratan Shukla (captain), Avishek Jhunjhunwala, Ranadeb Bose, Ashok Dinda, Sourashish Lahiri, Shib Sagar Singh.

Maharashtra (from): Harshad Khadiwale (captain), Sangram Dilp Atitkar, Kedar Jadhav, Ankit Bawne, Ameya Shrikhande, Azhar Ansari, Kiran Adhav, Ranjit Chavan, Ganesh Gaikwad, Samad Fallah, Sajin Sureshnath, Digambar Waghmare, Jitendra Patil, Ranjit Chavan, Rohan Bhosale, Rohit Motwani.