Pune: An upbeat Bengal side would undoubtedly be the favourites when they take on a resilient Delhi in their semi-final clash in Pune beginning on Sunday.
Manoj Tiwary and his boys completely outplayed defending champions Gujarat in their quarter-final and would have an edge over their semi-final opponents, having beaten them in recent meetings, feels skipper Manoj Tiwary.
“We have beaten them in recent times. So we will have a slight edge. But it is only slender as it is as good as any match in the past. When they have qualified for the last four, they are a strong side and we respect that. More importantly we have confidence in our capacity and potential. We have a plan and we would like to stick to it,” said the Bengal captain, ahead of their all-important clash.
Sairaj Bahutule’s side has been playing some really good cricket of late. At the top, openers Abhimanyu Easwaran and Abhishek Raman have been in good touch and have provided great starts to the team which automatically eases the pressure on the rest of the batsmen. Writtick Chatterjee, who came in to bat at number three last match proved his credentials as he scored a scintillating double ton which floored the defending champions and took the game away from them. Skipper Manoj Tiwary too has looked in good touch and comeback man Anustup Majumdar has done a wonderful job with the willow in his last few innings.
But Delhi cannot be taken lightly at any cost. Having remained undefeated in the group stages, they would indeed pose a strong challenge to Bengal.
Bengal would however enter the match without one of their star performers in Ishan Porel but the bowling unit would undoubtedly be boosted with the return of Mohammad Shami. The Dinda-Shami combination has done wonders for Bengal in the past and the duo would look forward to carry on in the same way. Also, with India’s Test wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha’s return, the team looks a formidable outfit ahead of the important clash.
“Getting Wriddhiman Saha and Mohammad Shami is a big boost for the team the final eleven will be given out tomorrow and we have a headache on who to leave out,” further added Manoj.
When asked about the conditions, the right-hander said, “Conditions were very good. We have an open ground and hence toss will be crucial. But whatever the conditions or result of toss we are ready to face the opposition and do it with flair and positivity.”