It'd be two-pointer — that was the conclusion Baroda coach Ashok Mankad reached after having a look at the Ferozeshah Kotla pitch for their Ranji Trophy match against Delhi, which starts on Saturday.
Despite tall promises that Delhi's third game would be played on a pitch that would assist the bowlers as well, the pitch curators have once again failed to deliver the goods due to time constraints.
The placid wicket is likely to hit Delhi more than the visitors as the latter are sitting pretty comfortably at nine points from their two games against Karnataka and Saurashtra.
Delhi, though, have had a decent start to the season in comparison to the last two seasons — but with only two points each from their first two games against Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, they were keen to play on a lively wicket that would have given them a chance to force a win and take full points in their last two home outings.
“The wicket looks good for batting and is not likely to produce a result,” said Mankad after his team's first practice session on Thursday. However, the former India opener was quick to add that the strong Delhi line-up gives the hosts an edge.
{{/usCountry}}“The wicket looks good for batting and is not likely to produce a result,” said Mankad after his team's first practice session on Thursday. However, the former India opener was quick to add that the strong Delhi line-up gives the hosts an edge.
{{/usCountry}}“They have some very good players in their side — Aakash Chopra, Shikhar Dhawan, Ashish Nehra and Ishant Sharma can make a difference in the match,” he added.
Mankad, who has taken charge of the Baroda team only this season, is confident that the Baroda youngsters are ready to take on any challenge.
“We have a right mixture of senior and junior players. Skipper Jacob Martin (109 runs from two matches) and Connor Williams (222) have done well with the bat while experienced pacer Rakesh Patel has been excellent with the ball, with 13 wickets from two matches. They have been supported well by youngsters like Ketan Panchal and wicketkeeper Pinal Shah with his superb keeping,” said Mankad.
The visitors, though, remain handicapped by the absence of star batsman Satyajit Parab, who has been out with an injury from the start of the season.
“He has been the main pillar of our team in the last few seasons. That's why he has been travelling with the team to boost morale,” Mankad explained.