Nagpur, Nov 17
Confident Vidarbha will lock horns with Rajasthan in the quarterfinal of the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament kicks off at the national capital here on Thursday.
A toxic haze has enveloped Delhi ever since Diwali with authorities in the NCR region making desperate efforts to contain the spiraling air pollution levels.
On cricketing front, Vidarbha will face the toughest opponent Rajasthan who is so far unbeaten in the tournament
The confidence of Vidarbha players is high after recording a comprehensive seven-wickets victory over Maharashtra in pre-quarters.
Qf or Vidarbha, opener Atharva Taide and skipper Akshay Wadkar are among runs and the duo would like to take on a strong Rajasthan attack, comprising the likes of pacer Tanveer-ul-Haq and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. Both the batsmen scored match-winning half-centuries against Maharashtra.
The role of middle-order batters Shubham Dubey and Jitesh Sharma, who played a cameo against Maharashtra, would be vital, if the side has to chase or set up a big total.
In the bowling department, left-arm orthodox bowler Akshay Karnewar and seasoned off-spinner Akshay Wakhare, would be key to their success and their eight overs could decide the match's fate. Young right-arm pacer Yash Thakur's confidence would be bolstered by his three-wicket haul in the pre-quarters, but he would need support from Darshan Nalkande.
As far as Rajasthan is concerned, Deepak Hooda, who shifted from Baroda, has been their batting mainstay and has delivered on every occasion.They will go into the game on the back of a thumping 30-run win over Haryana on November 9 in Vadodara. Deepak Hooda’s 75 ensured that Rajasthan posted 155 for six on the board. Thereafter, Mohit Jain’s four-wicket haul restricted Haryana to 125 in 19.1 overs. But Hooda needs assistance from skipper Ashok Maneria, Mahipal Lomror and others. Their bowlers will also need to bowl in the right areas to stop marauding Vidarbha batters.
Teams (probable XI)
Vidarbha: Siddhesh Wath, Atharva Taide, Akshay Wadkar (c & wk), Jitesh Sharma, Apoorv Wankhade, Shubham Dubey, Akshay Karnewar Darshan Nalkande, Lalit M Yadav, Yash Thakur and Akshay Wakhare.
Rajasthan: Yash Kothari, Ashok Menaria (c), Manipal Lomror, Deepak Hooda, Mohit Jain, Suraj Ahuja (wk), Shubham Sharma, Salman Khan, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ravi Bishnoi, Shiva Chauhan