Rohit Sharma-led side start as favourites against lowly Hyderabad in the fourth round of Ranji Trophy; Tamil Nadu take on Delhi
Mumbai will be eager to get a win under their belt as they take on bottom-placed Hyderabad in the fourth round of Ranji Trophy in Hyderabad on Saturday.
Mumbai, who did not feature in round three, will continue to have Rohit Sharma leading them in the absence of regular skipper Ajit Agarkar. The 39-time Ranji champions are tied with Saurashtra and Bengal on six points after draws in their previous games against Railways and Rajasthan, and would look to exploit Hyderabad’s weak bowling attack to get to winning ways.
Mumbai’s strong batting line-up, with the likes of Rohit and Abhishek Nayar, would be favourites to dominate the Hyderabad bowling attack that has yet to bowl a side out in the tournament. With scores of 18, 20 and 79 so far, Rohit would do well to lead the side from the front, score big and get back into the minds of the selectors.
The home side’s problems are not confined to the ball alone. Their batsmen have failed to build partnerships, with only captain VVS Laxman and Akshath Reddy scoring centuries. They can take some comfort from their hard-fought draw against Saurashtra, but they would have to put up a much better all-round performance if they are to have any chance of upsetting the mighty Mumbai team.
In another Group B encounter, two teams with matching firepower will come face to face when hosts Delhi take on an impressive Tamil Nadu in what promises to be a battle of equals.
Both Delhi and Tamil Nadu have eight points each after the third round, but the hosts are placed second on the points table on account of a better net run-rate while Tamil Nadu occupy the third spot. The two sides match up pretty well as both boast of an impressive batting and bowling line-ups, which promises an engrossing four-day tie.
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