Bengal are the only team in their group to have won both their matches so far in the ongoing edition of the Ranji Trophy. That’s certainly an achievement on the part of the Abhimanyu Easwaran-led side.
Besides, two wins out of two give Bengal an extra bit of confidence going into their second game while on the road, as they face Kerala at the KCA Ground in Mangalapuram (near Thiruvananthapuram) beginning on Monday. Kerala haven’t done badly either, occupying the third position with a win and a draw to secure eight points.
Unfortunately for both sides, rain could be a factor in this clash. Bengal would certainly hope it doesn’t boil down to both teams finishing with a point each because of inclement weather. That way, they have suffered in the past and failed to make the knockout stage.
On Sunday, the eve of the contest, Bengal’s training session could last barely half an hour, as they couldn’t even have a proper look at the pitch.
The chances of rain are there on the first three days of the game, with Day I having a possibility of as much as 75 per cent. The Bengal team management is trying its best to keep the combinations ready in accordance with the weather conditions.
If the conditions dry up, the final XI may feature three spinners and two quicks, as had been the case in the previous game against Services at the Palam ground in New Delhi. If the conditions remain wet, the combination will change to three pacers and two spinners.
Even if Bengal are to include only two fast bowlers, they are confident that Mohammed Shami will be in the XI on this occasion. The senior pacer had said that spin-friendly conditions at Palam were the main reason behind him not featuring in the Services game.
“We are confident Shami will be playing in this match,” head coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla said on Sunday.
If Shami’s place is confirmed as one of the two quicks, the other could be either his younger brother Mohammed Kaif or all-rounder Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal. “That too depends on the conditions tomorrow (Monday) morning,” Shukla said.
“In other words, the conditions will determine who we include and also our bowling combination.”
If it’s down to two spinners, Bengal will need to be diligent in whom they should stick to – off-spinner Aamir Gani or Pradipta Pramanik. Spinner all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed is the obvious leader of the spin department and will have an important role to play with the bat as well.
Rain aside, batting continues to be Bengal’s area of concern. It didn’t hurt them in their campaign opener versus Delhi at home, but against Services, Bengal fell short of even 200 in both their innings.
The Palam surface, despite its assistance for spinners, was not at all a minefield-like track and aided batsmen if they applied themselves. Thanks primarily to Shahbaz and the other spinners, Bengal could secure a win in that game.