Had it not been for Mumbai’s tied first innings against Maharashtra in the last league round of the previous Ranji Trophy season, Andhra would not have made a rare quarterfinal appearance.
Despite Andhra finishing above Mumbai in the overall standings, the southern underachievers will know that it will have its task cut out against Ajinkya Rahane’s army this time round, that too in its own backyard.
While Andhra will be upbeat after earning the innings lead against the last season’s finalist Bengal in its campaign opener last week, it will have to hope for a Herculean effort – perhaps by the leading light Hanuma Vihari – to repeat the same result against the 41-time champion.
Mumbai, meanwhile, will be hoping to mark Shreyas Iyer’s return to the premier First Class championship after five years by repeating – or bettering - the last year’s feat of a nine-wicket win against Andhra.
RELATED | Hanuma Vihari steps down as Andhra captain
Leaving aside last season’s clash, both the camps will have major changes from its tournament-opener. Andhra will have a new captain with Hanuma Vihari stepping down as captain on Thursday, passing the mantle on to Ricky Bhui. The seasoned batter was the star of Andhra’s big game against Bengal at home, his 175 helping it overhaul Bengal’s 409.
Mumbai, on the other hand, will miss the services of Tushar Deshpande, Sarfaraz Khan (both selected for India A) and allrounder Shivam Dube (on India duty). While Deshpande missed its innings win against Bihar at Patna, Sarfaraz’s void will be filled by Shreyas after being omitted from India’s T20I squad.
Captain Ajinkya Rahane, who had to sit out the opener due to a stiff neck, is fit and raring to go. So is veteran pacer Dhawal Kulkarni, likely to make his first appearance of the season.
The pitch at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy ground wore a cover of fresh grass but it will be interesting to see how the overused surface behaves should the match go the distance.
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