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Bengal desperate to end 30-year wait against
Saurashtra in Ranji final
8th March 2020
Buoyant Bengal will be hungry for the glory after a gap of thirty years when they lock horns with a strong Saurashtra side in Ranji Trophy final starting from tomorrow at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium.
Abhimanyu Easwaran and men completely outplayed Karnataka in the semifinal match while Saurashtra edged out Gujarat to reach their fourth final in eight years.
Bengal coach Arun Lal insisted that his side is approaching the high-voltage final as just another game and there is no added pressure on the players: "All the players are fit and fine. There's nothing extra going on in the dressing room as we are approaching ut as just another game. We are not focusing on the result, we are focusing on our strength. We want to do what we do best and focus on what we have been doing so far and get strength from that. Play exactly how we are expected to play, each one of us is going to look after himself."
Both the teams will be boosted by the addition of India Test regulars to their respective teams as Bengal will feature experienced Wriddhiman Saha while Cheteswar Pujara will take the field for tgeur opponents.
The Bengal skipper said: "The team's really excited for the game. We have had good preparation for last two days and got idea about how the conditions are here. We are looking forward to have a good game."
"The idea is to have three pacers and two spinners till now, final call will be taken tomorrow morning. I think it's a good wicket but as game progresses we will have a better idea about it," he added.
In the batting department Bengal will be looking at skipper Easwaran, Saha, experienced Manoj Tiwary, Shreevats Goswami, dependable Anustup Majumdar who smashed unbeaten 149 in the semifinal, Sudip Chatterjee and the two all-rounders Shahbaz Ahamad abd Arnab Nandi.
When asked about the impact of Wriddhiman's inclusion in the team Lal said: "Wriddhiman is a man of stature, a very fine human being. We are very happy to have him. He's a team man, a fighter. It boosts the moral and stability of the side."
"It should be a good wicket. It's looking a little dry and we will see how ut turns out tomorrow," he said about the wicket.
Saurashtra's batting department will be carried by Pujara, Arpit Vasavada, Sheldon Jackson against a potent three-legged Bengal pace attack crafted with Ishan Porel, Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep.
When asked about any special planning for any individual including Pujara he said: "We don't give undue importance to any individual. We play to our strength, we plan accordingly that. We need bowl in line, not giving too many loose balls, staying positive abd if we can do what we've been doing then result will follow. There are 10 other players in their team other than Pujara. One man can never win you a tournament, a final or a game. It's all eleven get together and win the match."
Saurashtra skipper Jaidev Unadkat has been in good form with 65 wickets including 7-wicket haul in the last match while for Bengal Shahbaz, Mukesh and Akash got 30 scalps each.
Both the teams will be desperate to win the silverware and only the time will tell whether Bengal will be able to end the 30-year wait.
CAB MEDIA DESK
Rio Dutta
