Deodhar Trophy 2019-20 final: Well-rounded India C starts favourite against India B

India C has already got the better of India B in the league stages and will be looking to ensure it finishes on a high by lifting the Deodhar Trophy title.

Shubman Gill scored 143 in India C's opening match in the Deodhar Trophy. (FILE IMAGE)

The motivation to win a title will act as catalyst for the players of India B and India C when the two sides lock horns in the final of the Deodhar Trophy tournament at the JSCA Stadium here on Monday.

India C impressed in its two outings by picking up eight points and would try to maintain its momentum by giving another fine performance in the summit clash.

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India ‘B’, which bit the dust against India C in an engagement that served only academic interest and gathered four points because of its victory over India A, will be keen to reverse the result when it matters the most.

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India ‘C’ would be pleased to know that the final would be played on the same pitch where it had put up the record-breaking total of 366 for three in the league stage against India A.

The side needs its openers, captain Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal, to come good again and provide a solid start to repeat that feat.

The well-balanced India C has got depth in its batting. When it stumbled to 126 for five against India B, Axar Patel and Virat Singh joined hands to take the team to a competitive total.

The options in bowling give India C some advantage. Pacers Ishan Porel and Dhawal Kulkarni, and spinners Axar and Jalaj Saxena, who returned best-ever Deodhar figures of seven for 41 against India A, and Mayank Markande are capable of applying brakes on the opposition.

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The Parthiv Patel-led India B – comprising a good mix of young and experienced batters such as Ruturaj Gaikwad, Priyank Panchal, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Baba Aparajith and Kedar Jadhav – is no less in the batting department and has already scored a 300-plus total. They will need to rise to the occasion.

Experienced bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Shahbaz Nadeem, and all-rounders Vijay Shankar and K. Gowtham offer variety in bowling.

“Deodhar Trophy is one step higher than Vijay Hazare Trophy. Everyone wants to perform well here. It’s an important tournament, a historic one and we want to win this,” said Aparajith, the highest run scorer in the tournament so far.