Ranji Trophy preview: Bengal, Chandigarh set for Barabati clash

Bengal will be looking to register the third outright win for a spot in the quarterfinals of Ranji Trophy 2021-22.

Bengal spin bowler Shahbaz Ahmed in action against Hyderabad in Ranji Trophy 2021-22.

Bengal will be keen to record its third outright win on the trot and book its place in the quarterfinals when it meets Chandigarh in its last Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match at the Barabati Stadium here on Thursday.

Following its exciting victories over Baroda and Hyderabad, Bengal, perched atop the group with 12 points, will bank on its familiarity with the playing arena to restrict Chandigarh.

Bengal, which dealt with a Covid scare to train in the afternoon on Wednesday, would love to see a better performance from its batters.

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So far, Bengal batters have scored less than 250 in three out of four innings. The side – having experienced campaigners like captain Abhimanyu Eswaran, Anustup Majumdar and Manoj Tiwary and exciting talents such as Shahbaz Ahmed, Abishek Porel and Ritwik Roy Chowdhury – is capable of scoring big totals.

“We have got some fabulous batters. We have not been able to put it together,” said Bengal coach Arun Lal, hoping for a better show.

Pacer Akash Deep’s toe injury has strained Bengal’s potent pace attack. It may provide an opportunity to one of the bench-warmers. Mukesh Kumar has a minor issue, but Lal expects him to take the field.

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Chandigarh, which has gathered one point in its first year in the Elite competition, is out of the knockouts race. They had defeated Bengal in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match, and it would look to repeat its act with the red ball as well.

“In the last match (against Baroda) we batted well. If we win this match, then it will give our young players a lot of confidence,” said Chandigarh coach Rajiv Nayyar.

There is a possibility of Chandigarh fielding a depleted XI as seamer Sandeep Sharma and U-19 World Cup-winning all-rounder Raj Bawa have fitness issues. Manan Vohra was unwell and did not attend the nets session, but Nayyar sounded confident about the captain’s availability.

The Barabati pitches have assisted the seamers in the morning sessions before becoming easier for batting. The team making the most of the conditions will reap the rewards.

Hyderabad vs Baroda

After losing to Bengal, Hyderabad will be eager to grab as many points as possible against Baroda in its last group engagement at the Vikash Cricket Ground and hope to qualify to the next stage.

With six points thus far, it needs to register an outright win, preferably with a bonus point, to stay in contention. Even then, its progress is possible only if Bengal is below-par against Chandigarh.

Baroda, which has collected three points, will look forward to playing up to its potential and closing the season with a morale-boosting win.