Saurashtra coach Niraj Odedra said his bowlers made the most of the conditions to put the side in an advantageous position against Bengal on the first day of the Ranji Trophy final at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday.
“It was a good day for us. I was pretty sure it depended on how much moisture was there on the pitch than the grass. Early in the morning we saw some moisture. We made sure to make use of the advantage,” said Odedra.
Odedra said his team would look to gather as many runs as possible. “There is no point playing defensive brand of cricket. We will play on the merit of the ball. If it’s there to defend, we will defend. If it’s a loose delivery, we will go for it.
“You cannot predict the (ideal) score. On this kind of pitch a smaller lead will not be of help. You need to make sure that you play as long as possible.”
Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary eyed a comeback while expecting a more disciplined performance from his bowlers. “Definitely, there’s a scope for a comeback. Still four days to go. Most importantly, it’s for us to utilise the first hour’s play tomorrow.
“Our pacers have performed well throughout the season. If they are able to replicate the same, we still can fight back.
“We never had this sort of a start this season and it had to happen in the opening session of the final. Obviously, we were not good enough. But credit to Shahbaz (Ahmed) and (Abishek) Porel to take us to a position from where we can bounce back.
“Abishek played well. It was tough in the opening session. They handled the pressure well. Overall, we needed that partnership. Abishek is young. If he has the right mindset, he can succeed,” said Tiwary.
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