New Delhi: Bengal have enough reasons to feel confident on the eve of their Ranji Trophy encounter against Gujarat, starting Saturday at the Kotla.
With 15 points and two wins under their belt from three matches in Group A, Manoj Tiwary's men are now second in the group behind Gujarat, who, too, have an equal number of points but are slightly ahead on net run-rate.On Friday, Bengal had a strenuous four-hour net session at the Kotla and Tiwary made it clear his team was ready for the tough battle ahead and was eyeing full points.
"Gone are the days when we used to get overawed by the presence of India players in the rival teams. Our players are now confident and don't get distracted by the strength of the opposition. We know how to perform our task," he said.
The Bengal skipper was obviously referring to the strong Gujarat side, having four players, who have donned India colours. Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel have returned after doing duty in the ODIs against New Zealand. Rival captain Parthiv Patel and RP Singh had represented the national team with distinction on several occasions.
But Bengal, this season, have played like a well-oiled machine so far. Pitted in a tough group, they have excelled both in batting and bowling at crucial moments.
The Bengal openers are in fine form - Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sayan Sekhar Mondal have done enough to cement their places in the team. Against Uttar Pradesh, Easwaran came up with three-figure knocks in both the innings. Mondal hit a century in the match against Punjab, which Bengal won comfortably.
Apart from the openers, the other top-order batsmen like Sudip Chatterjee and Tiwary are also among runs and on two occasions so far, Bengal have crossed the 400-run mark in the first innings.
In the bowling department, both pacers and spinners have lived up to the expectations so far. Seasoned Ashok Dinda is in great form - without him Bengal would not have won the low-scoring tie against Railways at Dharamsala.
If young Amit Kuila has been a revelation in his debut season along with Sayan Ghosh, not far behind are experienced spinners like Pragyan Ojha and Amir Gani.
"Overall, the situation is extremely reassuring," said Tiwary, who informed that Ojha was fit to play. Though the skipper said a final decision on the playing XI will be taken only on Saturday morning, Ojha could play at the expense of Sayan Ghosh. Sreevats Goswami will come in for wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha.
"I am not someone, who is a great believer of winning combination. I believe things should be done as per the situation. I know the Kotla wicket... perhaps an extra spinner would help to lend the balance to the team," Tiwary said.
Like Bengal, Gujarat, too, are hoping to get maximum points from the tie. "We are aware that Bengal have been playing well... but we are not behind. Our bowling and batting have done well so far," said Bumrah after nets.
Along with Bumrah, Gujarat also have young Hardik Patel who can trigger a collapse in the rival line-up. Patel goes into the game taking 11 wickets against Uttar Pradesh that earned him the Man of the Match award.
TEAMS
Bengal (likely): Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sayan Sekhar Mondal, Sudip Chatterjee, Manoj Tiwary (captain), Agniv Pan, Shreevats Goswami, Pankaj Shaw, Pragyan Ojha, Amir Gani, Ashok Dinda and Sayan Ghosh/Amit Kuila.
Gujarat (from): Samit Gohel, Priyank Panchal, Bhargav Merai, Parthiv Patel (captain), Manpreet Juneja, Chirag Gandhi, Karan Patel, Rush Kalaria, Chintan Gaja, Hardik Patel, Ishwar Chaudhary, Dhruv Rawal, Akshar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah and RP Singh.
Match starts: 9.30am.
