Kolkata: Bengal and Kerala players had to stay indoors and keep an eye on the sky a day before their Ranji Trophy Elite Group ‘C’ match at JU’s second campus here on Friday. It rained throughout the day after a cyclone hit the Bengal-Odisha coast on Friday morning.
The weather has affected both sides’ Ranji campaign this season so far. While Bengal missed out on crucial points after their last match against Bihar was called off without a ball being bowled due to poor ground conditions, only two sessions of play was possible due to rain in the drawn Kerala vs Karnataka match. Hence both the sides will be eager to get a full match after ending up with one point each last time. However, that looks quite unlikely now. “From the first match onwards, our games have been affected by rain. It’s frustrating, but we are now used to it,” Kerala skipper Sachin Baby told TOI while enquiring about the weather.
As the entire ground has been kept under covers, neither Bengal skipper Anushtup Majumder nor his Kerala counterpart, got a chance to see the pitch and decide on the team combination.
Bengal will miss three key players in opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel and pacer Mukesh Kumar, who have joined the India ‘A’ squad for their tour Down Under.
Sachin did not feel their absence would be an advantage for them. “Bengal is always a good side, full of experience. With the return of Chatterjee (Sudip) and Saha (Wriddhiman), they are a very balanced unit,” he said.
The good news for the hosts is that Ishan Porel has recovered from his injury and will be leading the side’s pace attack. Bengal’s comeback man Saha, who celebrated his 40th birthday on Thursday, is likely to don the wicketkeeper’s gloves once again while Shuvam Dey may open with in-form Sudip.
In Sanju Samson’s absence, Kerala will look to their skipper, Baba Aparajith and Mohammed Azharudden to put up a big score and bank on Jalaj Saxena, a doyen of domestic cricket, to bail them out if they get into trouble. The side will look for more from former Vidarbha all-rounder Aditya Sarwate, who has picked up nine wickets in two matches so far.