Ranji Trophy: In form Shami ,Dinda give Bengal an edge over Himachal

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Bengal skipper Manoj Tiwary, Ashoke Dinda and Wriddhiman Saha in a conversation ahead of the Himachal Pradesh clash. Image Source: XtraTime

Kolkata: High on confidence Bengal will face Himachal Pradesh in their first home game of a Group D clash of Ranji Trophy at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday.

Ahead of the all important encounter both the teams practiced hard during their practice session today.

Taking on Chhattisgarh with a domineering 7 point whitewash the Bengal bench is all set to dictate terms in the upcoming four day episode and two weeks of rest seems to have added to their vigour and stamina. The green top on the pitch coupled with a tad bit of moisture and provided the Bengal bowling attack is just about the perfect combination.

Asked about the plans after a successful win against Chhattisgarh and Bengal’s comeback after nearly two years Skipper Manoj Tiwary said, “The last match was an outright win for our team and yes Bengal is making a comeback after a year and half or so. We have had a good practise for four days. Physical fitness has been looked into. We have planned to proceed step by step and yes go for an outright win but our proposal is to go for three points first and get the wickets at the earliest”

With the amount of moisture and green cover in the pitch the team combination has been withheld at the discretion of the management until tomorrow, the batters await a tough time ahead.

“With Dinda and Shami in the ranks we have a good bowling lineup in Bengal. Shami has been playing in the India test team so he knows his role and has been delivering well in the nets and Dinda has evolved a lot and knows where to deliver so we have experienced bowlers in our squad. There are a lot of youngsters who have been performing really well and have been learning from the experienced and we look forward to play good cricket and win this since it is a home game and we know the pitch better,” added the Bengal skipper.

According to coach Sairaj Bahutule, “The boys got a good two weeks rest after the Chhatyisgarh match. Boys are mentally & physically fresh.”

Talking about the Eden wicket, Sairaj said, “The wicket looks great. It will favour our bowlers as our strength is fast bowling.”