CAB 1st Div. League: Focus on Wriddhiman as Mohun Bagan face East Bengal in the semi-final

Wriddhiman Saha at Eden Image Source: File Pic
Wriddhiman Saha at Eden
Image Source: File Pic

Kolkata: An in-form Wriddhiman Saha will be the main attraction in the semi-final of CAB first division league which starts at Eden Gardens from tomorrow. Saha’s presence will no doubt bolster Mohun Bagan ahead of the crucial semi-final encounter against the arch rivals East Bengal. Both the teams will be facing each other for the first time this season.

Wriddhiman played a blinder opening the batting for Kings in the penultimate match of the season. He scored a blistering knock of 93 runs off 55 balls to power his team to an incredible win over Mumbai Indians. Overall he had a pretty sedate IPL 10, scoring just 234 runs from 14 matches.

“If the team requires my service, I am always available. I have been playing constantly since the test series against Australia. Ideally for me, I would love to take rest. It depends on the team management whether they will keep me in the playing XI,” said Wriddhiman to xtratime.in

Mohun Bagan has a far better side on paper compared to East Bengal. The batting order looks ominous for Mohun Bagan with the presence of Subhomoy Das, Arindam Ghosh, Joyjit Basu, Sudip Chatterjee, Debabrata Das, Anustup Majumder and Wriddhiman Saha. The bowling department will be spearheaded by experienced Eklakh Ahmed. Sudip Chatterjee will be making his derby debut for Mohun Bagan tomorrow. But the left hander is under no pressure before playing his first derby.

“It will be my first derby after playing for 9 years in Kalighat. I am under no pressure at all. It is just another match for me. I would like to make a substantial contribution for my team,” said Sudip.

East Bengal have a slightly inexperienced side but statistics show they have a much better record against Mohun Bagan in recent times, especially in CAB first division league. The Red and Golds has always been a thorn in the flesh for Mohun Bagan. The East Bengal batting will depend on the experienced Arnab Nandy, Subhojit Banerjee and Vivek Singh. The Red and Golds will miss the service of U’19 cricketer Ishan Porel who is in NCA for India U’19 camp.

According to Mohun Bagan captain Subhomoy Das, “If we play to our potential we are confident of winning the match. It is always a pressure match. Will depend on how the juniors from both sides handle the pressure. East Bengal is a good side. We will go all-out to win the match.”

About the inclusion of Wriddhiman Saha, Subhomoy said, “His inclusion will definitely boost our confidence on the ground.”

East Bengal captain Arnab Nandy also expressed confidence in his side.

In another semi final Town club will clash with Bhawanipur in Kalyani. It will be a great opportunity for Bhawanipur to avenge their defeat at the hands of Town.

Teams from:

Mohun Bagan: Subhomoy Das (C) , Arindam Ghosh, Joyjit Basu, Sudip Chatterjee, Debabrata Das, Anustup Majumder, Rajkumar Pal, Neelkantha Das, Wriddhiman Saha, Tuhin Banerjee, Raja Yadav, A. Rahman

East Bengal: Arnab Nandy (C) , Vivek Singh, Prasenjit Das, Subhojit Banerjee, B. Amit, Sourav Mondal, Kaushik Ghosh, Susanta Das, Bidyut Adhikari, Praveen Gupta, P. Laxman