The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Chance for Hyderabad to salvage some pride

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 13, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

Chance for Hyderabad to salvage some pride

By Our Sports Reporter

HYDERABAD, DEC. 12. With its chances of qualifying for the knock-out phase virtually ruled out, Hyderabad is looking forward to salvage some pride by putting up an improved performance against Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group `B' starting at Gymkhana Grounds here on Monday.

Though both the teams have four points from three matches, Uttar Pradesh has not lost a match while the host has suffered two defeats.

According to the U.P. coach, Rajinder Singh Hans, the pitch looks to favour the batsmen and he has advised his team to face the situation as it arises.

He is banking on the striking prowess of the left-arm medium-pacer Rudra Pratap Singh, who has 21 wickets in three matches. Sharing the new ball with him will be Ashish Wintson Zaidi.

The spin department will be handled by left-armer Praveen Gupta, veteran Gyanendra Pandey and off-spinner Suresh Raina.

Hans is confident that his talented batting line-up of Jyoti Yadav, Rizwan Shamshad, Rohit Prakash and Suresh Raina will come good.

Being optimistic

The Hyderabad coach, Rajesh Yadav, asserts that it is still not all over for his team in this season. "Who knows if we win the next three matches we can still be in the race," he says.

The Hyderabad batting has been inconsistent and once again the focus will be on A.T. Tirupati Rayudu and N. Arjun Yadav, whose contibutions this season have not been up to the mark. The return of D. Vinay Kumar has raised some hope of solidity in the fragile middle-order.

In bowling, veteran Narinderpal Singh is expected to provide the early breakthroughs in the company of recalled Vishnuvardhan.

It will be a pity if the leg-spinner P.S. Niranjan is not given a chance.

The teams (from):

Uttar Pradesh: Jyothi Yadav, Gyanendra Pandey, Rizwan Shamshad, Suresh Raina, R.P.Singh, Ratnesh Misra, Shalab Srivatsava, Mohd Amir (wk), Shreekant Shukla, A.W.Zaidi, Rohit Prakash, Praveen Gupta, Ali Hamid, Utkarsh Chandra and Rahat Ilahi. Coach: Rajinder Singh Hans.

Hyderabad: S.L. Venkatapathi Raju (capt), S. Daniel Manohar, P. Sashank Nag, Anirudh Singh, D.Vinay Kumar, A.T. Rayudu, N. Arjun Yadav, Ibrahim Khaleel (wk), Narinderpal Singh, S. Vishnuvardhan, Fahad Shahnawaz, P.S. Niranjan, P. Indrasekhar Reddy, Shiv Shankar and Abhinav Kumar. Chief coach: Rajesh Yadav. Assistant coach: Vivek Jaisimha.

Umpires: Francis Gomes & S.K.Sharma. Match referee: Santh Singh.

Hours of play: 9.30 a.m. to 12.00 noon; 12.45 to 2.45 p.m.; 3.05 p.m. to close of play.

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