JOIN USWith their first game at the Just Cricket ground hit by rain, India Green will be eyeing a win and book a place in the final when they face India Red in their second Duleep Trophy match here at the Alur 2 ground from Thursday.
India Green, led by Faiz Fazal, faced India Blue but only 49 overs were possible on the opening day. Not a single ball was bowled in the next three days and both the teams shared a point each. India Blue, who managed only a point in their next game against India Red, have two points. Fazal’s men will be eyeing nothing less than a win against the Priyank Panchal-led side.
India Red, with three points, are sitting on top of the table and have qualified for the final to be held at the Chinnaswamy stadium from September 4. India Red bagged three points based on their first innings lead against India Blue in the previous game. Karun Nair was the star for India Red with knocks of 99 and 166 not out. The Karnataka batsman’s return to form augurs well for Indi Red, who will be up against a decent bowling attack that includes Ishan Porel, Tanveer-ul-Haq, Rahul Chahar and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja.
While Nair’s good form has arrived at the right time for India Red, they will be hoping for a better show from their opening combination of Abhimanyu Easwaran and Panchal. Youngster Ankit Kalsi, who also dazzled with scores of 106 and 64, is part of a solid middle-order that includes the gifted Ishan Kishan. Having qualified for the final, it remains to be seen if India Red change their combination and give chances to players waiting for their turn like Karnataka pacer Ronit More.
Along with Fazal, India Green’s batting will bank on the experience of Siddhesh Lad while emerging star Priyam Garg will also be the one to watch out for.
Squads: India Green: Faiz Fazal (captain), Akshath Reddy, Dhruv Shorey, Siddhesh Lad, Priyam Garg, Akshdeep Nath, Rahul Chahar, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Ishan Porel, Tanveer-ul-Haq, Akshay Wadkar (wk), Rajesh Mohanty, Milind Kumar.
India Red: Priyank Panchal (captain), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Axar Patel, Karun Nair, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Mahipal Lomror, Aditya Sarwate, Akshay Wakhare, Varun Aaron, Ronit More, Jaydev Unadkat, Sandeep Warrier, Ankit Kalsi.