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.
Published : Nov 03, 2019 18:13 IST
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.
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.