Bengal are ready to go in with a four-pronged pace attack in their Ranji Trophy opener against Uttarakhand at Eden Gardens, on Wednesday.
A bit of grass content and moisture on the firm Eden pitch should certainly make it an interesting prospect for the likes of Mohammed Shami and Akash Deep to exploit the conditions and go all guns blazing against the Uttarakhand batting group. But for that to happen, Abhimanyu Easwaran-led Bengal need to win the toss and get the opposition in.
Uttarakhand captain Kunal Chandela, too, agreed that the toss would be an important factor. “The grass content appears to be brownish. As the game progresses, the pitch will become better for batting.
“So, that way, the toss will be quite important,” Chandela said on Tuesday.
The game carries a little bit of extra significance for Shami, Akash and of course, skipper Easwaran, as an India comeback occupies a big space in their minds. That could well be the catalyst for an extra bit of push from the trio.
“Not just the three of them, but all our players are keen to make an impression. If we play to our strengths, I’m sure we’ll have a successful campaign this season,” Bengal head coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla emphasised.
Match starts: 9am
