The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Close race on the cards

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 11, 2005

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Close race on the cards

By Our Special Correspondent

KOLKATA, JAN. 10. With two teams set to qualify for the 10-team inter-zonal Ranji Trophy one-day tournament to be held in Mumbai next month, four out of five sides are in with a chance to make it to the National meet from the East Zone tournament beginning simultaneously at the Eden Gardens and Jadavpur University Salt Lake Campus here from Tuesday.

Undoubtedly, the zonal powerhouse and defending champion Bengal will be one of the front-runner to advance further in this tournament. The other place can either go to Orissa, Assam or Jharkhand.

Tripura, the traditional whipping boys of the zone, is expected to stay at the bottom though induction of a few outstation players may give the team a chance to trouble the established sides.

Bengal has gone for tried and tested lot at least for the first two games. Assam, in the process of rebuilding, may see a few new faces while Orissa's strength has more or less remained the same with the same set of boys still in the side.

The surprise packet of the meet can be Jharkhand. With its batsman-wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni making his India debut in one-day International and the State side making it to the semifinals of the plate division, every player is keen to do well to catch the eye of the selectors.

On the eve of the match against Bengal, Dhoni is unlikely to keep wicket owing to an injured arm. He will, however, play as a batsman because Jharkhand will need his batting. This game at the Eden Gardens will be a pointer of things to come in the next few days. In the other game, Tripura will play Assam.

The fixtures: Jan. 11: Bengal vs. Jharkhand, Tripura vs. Assam; Jan. 13: Bengal vs. Tripura, Orissa vs. Jharkhand; Jan. 15: Bengal vs. Assam, Orissa vs. Tripura; Jan. 17: Orissa vs. Assam, Jharkhand vs. Tripura; Jan. 18: Bengal vs. Orissa, Assam vs. Jharkhand.

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