Bengal cricketer Rohan Gavaskar (right) during a practice session at Tata Digwadih stadium in Dhanbad. Picture by Gautam Dey

Jamadoba (Dhanbad), Feb. 10: Backache and a stomach upset threaten to stand in the Jharkhand team?s way to success at the start of the one-day Ranji Trophy tournament.

Host Jharkhand is to take on Orissa in the opening tie tomorrow at the Bharat Coking Coal Limited?s (BCCL) Jawaharlal Nehru Jealgora Stadium 13 km from the district headquarters in Dhanbad.

Speaking to The Telegraph at Jealgora Stadium, Rajiv Kumar Raja, the captain of the Jharkhand team, said his side was plagued with injuries that would lead to last minute changes in the team?s strategy.

S.S. Rao, the medium pace bowler, who joined the team on Wednesday, complained of backache during the practice session on Thursday. He was at the nets today, but his back pain had become ?worse?.

Another key medium pacer, Mihir Deewakar, could not join today?s practice session because of an upset stomach.

?Our bowling attack will be crippled if these two players are not available,? said Raja, adding that they were keeping their fingers crossed until tomorrow morning when the fitness of the players would be reassessed before the playing 12 were decided.

All matches would be played in the super sub format with the discretionary three power plays in the captain?s hands.

?Since it is a grassy track and the conditions will assist seamers, we are banking upon our pace attack,? said Raja.

The captain said spinners Shahid Khan and Sunny Gupta were ?certain to make the final playing list?.

Raja was quick to add: ?Orissa is playing without key batsmen such as Shiv Sundar Das, Sanjay Raul and Rashmi Ranjan Parera, which will put them on the defensive. Besides, we have the support of the domestic crowd, which will make up for our loss.?

Debashish Mohanty, the medium pace bowler and captain of the Orissa team, said his key concern was to even every match.

?Staging a comeback into the Indian team is not on my mind. A Ranji tournament is one such event where one has to play to their best to impress the selectors,? added Mohanty.

Sritam Das, the coach of the Orissa team, also said the medium pace bowlers are in good shape and can devastate any batting side.