Ranji Trophy : Keen contest on cards as both Bengal and Assam eye a berth in knockout .

Manoj-with-Laxmi-and-Dinda

Guwahati: Fresh from a thumping win over Odisha, Manoj Tiwari and his team will brace  for a sterner test versus Assam in their last group-phase tie of the Ranji Trophy, which begins on Tuesday at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.

The tie expected to be an exciting one, with both teams eying at least three points in order to seal their berth in the knockouts. While  hosts Assam are placed second in the table and Bengal third on the basis of net run rate, with 25 points each.

Bengal will be bolstered by the presence of experienced  Laxmi Ratan Shukla , who had to miss the earlier ties owing to injury in Karnataka  match . It remains to be seen whether Shukla’s all-round capabilities turn out to be a boon for Bengal or upset their rhythm.

Captain Manoj Tiwari is confident about Laxmi , as he feels his inclusion will strengthen the balance of the squad . According to Manoj ,“ The inclusion of Laxmi will no doubt add to the balance of the squad , with his vast experience .His medium pace bowling can come handy  on the strip.”  Bengal captain is circumspect as to how the wicket at Barsapara Cricket Stadium  will play in the course of the match .Manoj felt ,“ It will be a good toss to lose. ”

Bengal might go in with two pacer – two spinner combination as the team management feels there will be a lot to offer for the fast bowlers during the initial stages of the match .

There appears to be a bit of worry in the camp, though, as pacer Veer Pratap Singh have been ruled out due to a hamstring injury that has resurfaced , for the all-important Group A clash. The pacer have been sent back to Kolkata , with Sayan Ghosh joining the squad as a stop gap measure .

On the other hand, the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) on Sunday made two changes in the Assam squad. While pacer Arup Das replaced batsman Sibsankar Roy, seasoned off-spinner Arlen Konwar was recalled to replace offie Bikash Chetri. But HS Sharath will be banking on the pacer duo of Krishna Das and Arup Das . The former have been in supreme form having picked 42 wickets in 7 matches including 5 five wicket haul so far .

Arup, who has also  been one of the most successful pacers for Assam in their good run so far, was ruled out of the last match against Maharashtra due to a thumb injury he sustained while batting against Delhi at home. Assam coach HS Sanath Kumar heaped a lot of praise for the young Bengal side ,“ I  feel Bengal are one of the most balanced side in this group with promising youngsters like Sudip , Gani and Sreevats . I have had the opportunity to watch them closely while I was in NCA .”

Few Bengal players visited the Kamakhya temple on Sunday evening , seeking the blessings so that everthing works in their favour for the next four days .

 

Bengal XI ( Likely ) : Abhimanyu Iswaran , Sayan Sekhar Mondal  , Sudip Chatterjee , Manoj Tiwari (C) , Laxmi Ratan Shukla , Sreevats Goswami , Pankaj Shaw , Aamir Gani , Pragyan Ojha , Ashok Dinda & Mukesh Kumar .