Calcutta: With a new captain and coach at the helm, Bengal seek to make a fresh start as they begin their Ranji Trophy campaign in a Group A clash versus holders Karnataka, at the Chinnaswamy, from Thursday.
It remains to be seen how Manoj Tiwary and Sairaj Bahutule mould the team together and guide it towards a successful campaign, an arduous task to say the least considering the off-the-field issues the side has had to deal with in the recent past.
Manoj, however, believes it will be a controversy-free season for Bengal and is confident of the team making an impact this time around. "Both Sairaj and I have categorically mentioned to the players that no nonsense will be tolerated.
"Even Dadi (Sourav Ganguly) has been very clear and strict about it. We have a job to do, which is to play well and help the team get past obstacles coming its way.
"The message has been sent to each and every player, and we are all geared up to perform. The focus is on playing no-nonsense cricket," the captain said from Bangalore on the match eve.
With bowling being Bengal's strength and Pragyan Ojha's inclusion making it sharper, Manoj feels his team should be able to adapt well with the conditions at the Chinnaswamy. "The pitch here tends to favour fast bowlers initially. It generally has something in for the pacers. So, we are pretty upbeat," he said.
On the team front, Naved Ahmed looks likely to make his debut and open the innings with Sreevats Goswami. Rewarded for his consistent performances at the local circuit, Naved will certainly be tested against the likes of Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun, both of whom have been key figures in strengthening Karnataka's bowling attack.
"Under the circumstances, Naved looks set to open," informed a team insider, adding: "A lot, regarding team combination, depends on whether the amount of grass we saw today during practice remains or not.
"If it's not there, another spinner (probably Amir Gani) will join Pragyan Ojha. But if the grass content remains, then obviously we'll go in with three pacers.
"Don't be too surprised if you see another debutant in (medium pacer) Mukesh Kumar, who could be preferred over Sourav Sarkar."
Bowling wise, Bengal have few reasons to worry about as the likes of Ashok Dinda and Veer Pratap Singh did try their bit to keep the team in the hunt. Besides, Ojha's addition should turn out to be a boost as he's expected to fare better than how Sourashish Lahiri - ignored this time around - did over the last few seasons.
In addition, there's the all-round capacity of Laxmi Ratan Shukla who will certainly be eager to make a mark and outshine others, after pulling out of the captaincy race.
If all four of them fire in unison, Bengal have every chance to put the Karnataka batsmen under pressure. That Assam bowlers had the Robin Uthappas and Karun Nairs wobbling will surely be in Bengal's mind.
The only worrying aspect is Bengal's shaky batting, which has been the root cause of the team fluffing despite being in commanding positions. "But this time I believe we'll do much better.
"Each of the batsmen have worked hard with VVS Laxman. The hunger is there in everyone to step up for the team. I'm confident you will get to see improvement in every aspect of our game," Manoj emphasised.
FIXTURES
Group A
Karnataka vs Bengal (Bangalore); Odisha vs Maharashtra (Cuttack); Delhi vs Vidarbha (New Delhi); Assam vs Rajasthan (Guwahati)
Group B
Madhya Pradesh vs Tamil Nadu (Indore); Mumbai vs Punjab (Mumbai); Baroda vs Railways (Vadodara); Andhra vs Gujarat (Vizianagaram)
Group C
Himachal Pradesh vs Jammu & Kashmir (Dharamsala); Hyderabad vs Kerala (Hyderabad); Goa vs Services (Porvorim); Saurashtra vs Jharkhand (Rajkot)
