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Fixture & Results
Bengal look to bat first
12th November 2016
Fresh from the forced break, Bengal will take on Tamil Nadu hoping to keep the winning momentum going in their Group-A Ranji Trophy tie at Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground in Rajkot.
Bengal are placed 5th in the leaderboard, while Tamil Nadu are 2nd but having played two more matches. “We have played 3 matches and secured 15 points, they are only 17 from 5. We are still placed better,” said skipper Manoj Tiwary.
Going by the records, Bengal managed just one win against TN in the last five matches. Skipper Tiwary refuses to hive this any importance: “We are not bothered about statistics. Anything is possible in cricket. Whoever plays well will win at the end. We will try to be that team. Our homework is in place, its for the boys to execute.”
Asked about the wicket, he said, “It looks a flat track with lots of runs. We need to get runs on the board and give them a tough fight.”
Overall, Bengal will be satisfied with the performance they have so far this season. The only concern being the tail not being able to wag yet, “We are happy with the way the team is playing. The batsmen have contributed well. The only thing is we need to be bit more careful while playing as we need to convert the starts into big innings. Contributing tailendes will be an additional advantage,” said batsman Sayan Mandal.
On a flat track the bowlers need to bowl well to get the opposition out, “We are carrying confidence from the previous matches. They have quality batters, but we have the simple plan of sticking to the basics,” said Ashok Dinda.
On the other hand, Tamil Nadu looks a balanced side, with their skipper, Abhinav Mukund in good touch, scoring hundred in the last match, where they beat Baroda by an innings and 44 runs. Also, wicketkeeper, Dinesh Karthik will not be easy to handle, who looked good this season so far.
The bowling will be backed by Vignesh K, who took eight wickets in the last match and also R Aushik Srinivas, who took four in the second innings.
CAB MEDIA DESK
Sayan Banerjee
