The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Crucial Delhi-Karnataka tie

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Tuesday, Jan 03, 2006

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Crucial Delhi-Karnataka tie

Bangalore: The presence of Anil Kumble and Virender Sehwag in the rival camps will add an extra dose of adrenaline as Karnataka and Delhi warm up for a crucial Ranji Trophy Elite Group `A' clash that will commence at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Tuesday.

Kumble, man-of-the-series against Sri Lanka in the Tests, is on a roll, while Sehwag has slumped in recent times — averaging 34.42 in his last five Tests and 33.35 in the 18 one-dayers played in the 2005-06 season. His is a crucial presence in the Indian team and his triple hundred at Multan when India last toured Pakistan, set the tone for the series. Perhaps this Ranji match will help Sehwag recapture his runs and confident swagger before the Indian team leaves for Pakistan.

The duo's presence in a domestic match will add zest to the two teams that started their respective Ranji campaigns on a lukewarm note before kicking up some sparks with comprehensive victories in their last matches. Karnataka (8 points) defeated Maharashtra, while Delhi (6 pts) ambushed Railways. And now, as the two teams gear up for a clash, attention will also be focussed on a pitch that is expected to aid spin.

Edge in spin

Karnataka, bolstered with the return of Kumble and the added presence of Sunil Joshi, who missed the last match due to a delayed flight, does have an edge in the spin department though its top-order needs to convert its starts, especially Robin Uthappa and Barrington Rowland. Meanwhile, Bharath Chipli needs to blend solidity with flamboyance and Shinde has to find his runs.

For too long has Karnataka relied on the lower-order helmed by Thilak Naidu to revive the innings, but it is time for others to fire and there will be nothing more inspiring than a big knock from skipper Sujith Somasundar. "We are happy with the way we played against Maharashtra. We implemented our plans well. Delhi is a good team and we will have to play well," Somasundar said.

Delhi's training

The Delhi camp, meanwhile, had a long nets session under the afternoon sun. Skipper Sehwag missed the morning rounds as his flight was delayed and coach Madan Lal was a busy man, exhorting his team to maintain the momentum gained from the victory against Railways. Besides Sehwag, Delhi has Akash Chopra, Shikhar Dhawan and Rajat Bhatia to anchor its batting. The bowling will hinge on seamer Amit Bhandari and the spin-quotient will be provided by Abhishek Sharma, Yogesh Sachdeva and Chetanya Nanda.

The team batting first will have an advantage. And Somasundar said, "it makes sense to bat first on these kind of wickets."

Tough contest

In Kolkata Bengal, with nine points from five games, will go all out to collect as many points from the match, while Tamil Nadu, still not out of danger with five points from as many matches, will look for at least two points.

With S. Badrinath, who replaced Hemang Badani as captain, leading the Tamil Nadu side and the inclusion of a couple of young fast bowlers, especially V. Yo Mahesh who is trying to make it to the Indian under-19 side for the upcoming Sri Lanka World Cup, will certainly add a lot of motivation to the side which lost two matches outright and landed in soup.

The teams: Karnataka: S. Somasundar (capt.), A. Kumble, R. Uthappa, B. Rowland, Thilak Naidu (wk), Sunil Joshi, Sudhindra Shinde, Stuart Binny, B. Akhil, R. Vinay Kumar, Bharath Chipli, N.C. Aiyappa, D. Ganesh, C. Raghavendra, C. Raghu and Udit Patel. Coach: K. Jeshwanth. Physio: Ramakanth.

Delhi: V. Sehwag (capt.), A. Bhandari, Akash Chopra, Mithun Manhas, Shikhar Dhawan, Rajat Bhatia, Varun Kumar, Mayank Tehlan, Abhishek Sharma, Aditya Jain, Yogesh Sachdeva, Chetanya Nanda, Kunal Lal, Kuldeep and Mukesh Dewan. Coach: Madan Lal. Physio: Badrinath Prathi. Trainer: Tejvir Singh.

Umpires: M.R. Singh and S. Phadkar. Match referee: R.S. Rathore.

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