Rest of India will be locking horns against Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai in the Irani Cup, starting from Wednesday. Though a domestic match, both the teams have star-studded line up and many of the players are eyeing for a berth in the Test squad against Australia through their performance in the match.
Moreover, it’s would be worth watching how Harbhajan Singh bowls to Sachin Tendulkar or how Virender Sehwag takes on Mumbai’s star bowler Dhawval Kulkarni. For that matter, it would be interesting to watch in-form Suresh Raina, who looked in tremendous form in the recent ODI series or Wasim Jaffer, who ensured that Mumbai won the Ranji trophy for the 40th time.
Just a few hours away from the start of one of the most important matches of the domestic season, we bring for you the players who can make the real difference in the Irani Trophy:
Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai): God of cricket, who had a bad final against Saurashtra, would like to take a fresh start especially before the much awaited Test series against Australia. He has a good run in Ranji this season and has piled up good amount of runs and everybody knows that this cricketing God just need few balls to make a comeback. He has given lot of strength to Mumbai and getting him out will be the key factor in the context of the game.
Suresh Raina (ROI): His terrific run in the ODIs has made him one of the strongest contenders in the race for the place in Team India and if he does well in Irani trophy then he will surely make in to the playing 11 of Indian test squad. His ability to throw himself during fielding is an added advantage. His ability to stay till the end of the innings with the tail-enders is very rare site to see nowadays.
Wasim Jaffer (Mumbai): His consistency of scoring runs in Ranji has made him the highest run scorer in the history of Ranji trophy. His ability to keep a price on his wicket and to play big innings in almost every match makes him a treat to watch. His ability to play according to the situation is something for the opposition to worry about. If he clicks in this match then no one can stop Mumbai from lifting the Irani trophy.
Virender Sehwag (ROI): The mind boggling opener has not been in his best of form but that hardly matters to him because he knows if he gets going, the only one to worry are the bowlers. His hard hitting abilities make life very difficult for the opposition. If he stays on the crease for first 10 to 15 overs then he can simply tear apart the Mumbai’s bowling attack which lacks a decent pace bowler.
Harbhajan Singh (ROI): He has been in and out of Indian squad but right now performing in Irani trophy is his main aim and he wants to play well for Rest of India squad. He was looking very good against Saurashtra and he picked up six wickets in that match. Though his team failed in that match but his performance didn’t go unnoticed. It’s going to very interesting to see his duel with Sachin Tendulkar if he gets a chance to bowl against the Master Blaster.
Abhishek Nayar (Mumbai): One of the costliest players of IPL, he will be back on the field to showcase his all-round abilities. He has been a real match winner for Mumbai. His bowling spells have always frustrated the opposition and his habit of making batsmen drive makes him a very exciting player. His utility as a fielder and lower order batsman makes him one of the corner-stone of Mumbai.
Ishwar Pandey (ROI): He has picked up 48 wickets in last eight matches of Ranji trophy and that makes him a very crucial factor. Apart from his ability of picking up wickets, he has that zip in his bowling because of that extra pace he adds by bending his back and hitting the deck hard. He can be the trump card for ROI as in his last outing against Mumbai, he picked up eight wickets in the match.
Dhaval Kulkarni (Mumbai): Kulkarni bowled very well in the semifinals and finals of Ranji Trophy and that’s what makes him special. His ability to rise to the occasion and picking up wickets makes him a very dangerous bowler. He has picked up nine wickets in final and five wickets in semifinal match and helped Mumbai to reach home comfortably.
Pragyan Ojha (ROI): This left arm slow bowler is going to make a big difference between the two sides because of his ability to spin the ball even on flat tracks. He has picked up a five wicket-haul on the same track and he would be looking to repeat the history. Bowling alongside Harbhajan singh can make him a much better bowler and that will add a lot of pressure on Mumbai squad.
By Amit Chopra
Indian Sports News Network