On paper, it might be a ‘David vs Goliath’ contest but Punjab captain Harbhajan Singh knows well that it would be foolish to take Parvez Rasool and Co. lightly as Rajasthan had showed during the 2010-11 season when they emerged from the ‘Plate Group’ to win Ranji Trophy defeating Mumbai and Tamil Nadu in the quarter and semifinals.
‘The boys are eagerly waiting for a good contest. We want to play more matches like these where we would be meeting teams like Punjab and Mumbai. This will also be an indicator of our improvement. It will be an honour to play against a player of Yuvi Paaji’s stature,’ Jammu and Kashmir skipper Rasool said.
Harbhajan, who was out of action play after the first three matches due to shoulder injury, is set to play in the quarterfinal at the Moti Baug ground which has helped both pacers and spinners during the course of the season.
Harbhajan, who has taken 18 wickets in three games, will like to get back into the groove while Yuvraj, who has scored 140 runs from three games without a single 50 will be itching to get a big score. ‘I am fully fit and looking forward for some action,’ said Harbhajan. For Jammu and Kashmir, a lot will depend on how their skipper and premier player Rasool performs in the crunch game.
The all-rounder, who has already been a part of the Indian squad and has played for India A, has scored 550 runs and has taken 21 wickets in the tournament so far. Adil Rishi is another in-form player, scoring 571 runs in this season so far.
Bengal ready for grudge match
KOLKATA: High on confidence after recording back-to-back wins, hosts Bengal would look to derail the Railways team when they clash in Ranji quarterfinals from Wednesday, weeks after an ugly ‘Mankaded’ incident marred an earlier rubber between the two teams.
After being written off in the league stage, two-time champions Bengal brilliantly turned it around by thrashing Uttar Pradesh (home) and Tamil Nadu (away) to storm into the quarters for the first time since 2008-09 when they were ousted by TN. Bengal might have peaked at the fag end of the league stage, but the Railmen were steady with three wins including one by a bonus point against Baroda to top the group B.
There has been an intense rivalry between the two teams this season after Railway skipper Murali Kartik ‘Mankaded’ Sandipan Das and Bengal players refused the customary handshake after conceding three points in hot-tempered match in New Delhi.
Maharashtra face Mumbai in state Derby
Mumbai: Group toppers Maharashtra will play defending champions Mumbai, who barely made it to the knock-out stage, in the five-day quater-final of the Ranji Trophy that promises to be a keen fight at the Wankhede Stadium, starting Wednesday.
While Maharashtra advanced to the elimination phase by finishing on top of Group C, 40-time champions Mumbai staged a grand comeback from the brink in Group A after conceding a 99-run first innings lead to Gujarat in their final league game before winning outright to qualify for the quarterfinal.
All these facts would be confined to the dustbin when the two arch-rivals meet in what is considered to be the Maharashtra state version of the well-known ‘War of Roses’ between Lancashire and Yorkshire in English county cricket. Though the visitors from across the Sahyadri ranges topped their group that consisted of the championship’s weakest teams, they would find Mumbai - bolstered by the return of veteran pacer Zaheer Khan and all-rounder Abhishek Nayar, a tough nut to crack in the latter’s backyard.
Karnataka look to carry on winning momentum
Bangalore: Riding high on their five consecutive victories, Karnataka will look to continue their winning streak when they take on Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal at Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday.
Karnataka have been on a roll as never before, as they scripted five outright victories in a row this season in the league stage. The most unforgettable one was against traditional rivals Mumbai, whom they beat by 160-run margin. The host captain Vinay Kumar would undoubtedly be hoping to take full advantage of playing in home conditions and give a hard time to the visitors, who have senior pros in their ranks like India discards - Mohammad Kaif, Piyush Chawla, Praveen Kumar and RP Singh.
Vinay might be disappointed with the absence of in-form all-rounder Stuart Binny due to his inclusion in India’s ODI squad for New Zealand tour, but must be relieved to have Robin Uthappa back in the side, having recovered from hamstring injury. The swashbuckling Uthappa will replace Mayank Agarwal, who has been in good form. The Karnataka opener will be missing the quarterfinals as he is being named in Karnataka’s U-25 squad for the CK Nayudu Trophy quarterfinal against Himachal Pradesh in Dharamsala from January 5.
Left-arm spinner KP Appanna will return to the squad after he was rested in the previous match against Delhi, which Karnataka won by eight wickets to finish the league stage with five consecutive victories. Karnataka have a formidable batting line-up.
Almost all the top order batsmen have put their hands up when others had failed to make any impression. Lokesh Rahul, Manish Pandey, Ganesh Satish and CM Gautam, all of them have been among runs. Especially, Rahul has been the real force behind the home side’s batting with 777 runs under his belt after cracking two centuries and three half centuries.
Karun Nair, who blasted a ton on debut, 105 against Delhi in the last match, could give match-less Uthappa a much needed confidence at the other end. Form of Pandey, Satish and Gautam, in the middle order will not be a cause of concern for Vinay ahead of the match.
‘The boys are eagerly waiting for a good contest. We want to play more matches like these where we would be meeting teams like Punjab and Mumbai. This will also be an indicator of our improvement. It will be an honour to play against a player of Yuvi Paaji’s stature,’ Jammu and Kashmir skipper Rasool said.
Harbhajan, who was out of action play after the first three matches due to shoulder injury, is set to play in the quarterfinal at the Moti Baug ground which has helped both pacers and spinners during the course of the season.
Harbhajan, who has taken 18 wickets in three games, will like to get back into the groove while Yuvraj, who has scored 140 runs from three games without a single 50 will be itching to get a big score. ‘I am fully fit and looking forward for some action,’ said Harbhajan. For Jammu and Kashmir, a lot will depend on how their skipper and premier player Rasool performs in the crunch game.
The all-rounder, who has already been a part of the Indian squad and has played for India A, has scored 550 runs and has taken 21 wickets in the tournament so far. Adil Rishi is another in-form player, scoring 571 runs in this season so far.
Bengal ready for grudge match
KOLKATA: High on confidence after recording back-to-back wins, hosts Bengal would look to derail the Railways team when they clash in Ranji quarterfinals from Wednesday, weeks after an ugly ‘Mankaded’ incident marred an earlier rubber between the two teams.
After being written off in the league stage, two-time champions Bengal brilliantly turned it around by thrashing Uttar Pradesh (home) and Tamil Nadu (away) to storm into the quarters for the first time since 2008-09 when they were ousted by TN. Bengal might have peaked at the fag end of the league stage, but the Railmen were steady with three wins including one by a bonus point against Baroda to top the group B.
There has been an intense rivalry between the two teams this season after Railway skipper Murali Kartik ‘Mankaded’ Sandipan Das and Bengal players refused the customary handshake after conceding three points in hot-tempered match in New Delhi.
Maharashtra face Mumbai in state Derby
Mumbai: Group toppers Maharashtra will play defending champions Mumbai, who barely made it to the knock-out stage, in the five-day quater-final of the Ranji Trophy that promises to be a keen fight at the Wankhede Stadium, starting Wednesday.
While Maharashtra advanced to the elimination phase by finishing on top of Group C, 40-time champions Mumbai staged a grand comeback from the brink in Group A after conceding a 99-run first innings lead to Gujarat in their final league game before winning outright to qualify for the quarterfinal.
All these facts would be confined to the dustbin when the two arch-rivals meet in what is considered to be the Maharashtra state version of the well-known ‘War of Roses’ between Lancashire and Yorkshire in English county cricket. Though the visitors from across the Sahyadri ranges topped their group that consisted of the championship’s weakest teams, they would find Mumbai - bolstered by the return of veteran pacer Zaheer Khan and all-rounder Abhishek Nayar, a tough nut to crack in the latter’s backyard.
Karnataka look to carry on winning momentum
Bangalore: Riding high on their five consecutive victories, Karnataka will look to continue their winning streak when they take on Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal at Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday.
Karnataka have been on a roll as never before, as they scripted five outright victories in a row this season in the league stage. The most unforgettable one was against traditional rivals Mumbai, whom they beat by 160-run margin. The host captain Vinay Kumar would undoubtedly be hoping to take full advantage of playing in home conditions and give a hard time to the visitors, who have senior pros in their ranks like India discards - Mohammad Kaif, Piyush Chawla, Praveen Kumar and RP Singh.
Vinay might be disappointed with the absence of in-form all-rounder Stuart Binny due to his inclusion in India’s ODI squad for New Zealand tour, but must be relieved to have Robin Uthappa back in the side, having recovered from hamstring injury. The swashbuckling Uthappa will replace Mayank Agarwal, who has been in good form. The Karnataka opener will be missing the quarterfinals as he is being named in Karnataka’s U-25 squad for the CK Nayudu Trophy quarterfinal against Himachal Pradesh in Dharamsala from January 5.
Left-arm spinner KP Appanna will return to the squad after he was rested in the previous match against Delhi, which Karnataka won by eight wickets to finish the league stage with five consecutive victories. Karnataka have a formidable batting line-up.
Almost all the top order batsmen have put their hands up when others had failed to make any impression. Lokesh Rahul, Manish Pandey, Ganesh Satish and CM Gautam, all of them have been among runs. Especially, Rahul has been the real force behind the home side’s batting with 777 runs under his belt after cracking two centuries and three half centuries.
Karun Nair, who blasted a ton on debut, 105 against Delhi in the last match, could give match-less Uthappa a much needed confidence at the other end. Form of Pandey, Satish and Gautam, in the middle order will not be a cause of concern for Vinay ahead of the match.