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Ghaziabad: Friday will mark the onset of the Ranji Trophy 2012-13 season. While it will be a chance for the youngsters to shine on the big stage, the senior players like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan will hope to regain their form ahead of the four-Test series against England.
When Sehwag will lead a star-studded Delhi side against Uttar Pradesh in the opening Group A match at the Nehru Stadium, here, his form will be keenly assessed. And the dashing right-handed batsman will hope to make a point against a strong Uttar Pradesh attack, comprising three quality swing bowlers in Praveen Kumar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Sudeep Tyagi.
Sehwag’s opening partner, Gambhir, will also be hoping to do justice to his reputation. However, if these two big guns fail to fire, Delhi will be banking on the flamboyant Virat Kohli and the talented Unmukt Chand.
If Delhi’s batting looks strong, their bowling also has a lot of depth. Ishant Sharma and Ashish Nehra will lead the bowling attack in the match that is likely to attract a huge crowd.
Asked about the presence of so many stars, Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya said: “It’s the Delhi team that will be playing tomorrow. They have all become stars playing for Delhi and they always love to turn up when there is no international commitment. We will be depending on team game and not on individual brilliance.
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