Incessant rainfall brought on by Cyclone Dana has cast a shadow over the Ranji Trophy Group-C match between Bengal and Kerala, scheduled to commence at the Jadavpur University ground in Kolkata on Saturday. Both teams had settled for a point apiece in their respective matches in the previous round. While Bengal’s encounter against Bihar was washed out due to a wet outfield at Kalyani, Kerala’s first innings could not be completed in its rain-affected match against Karnataka at Alur.
The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), which shifted the Kerala fixture out of Kalyani, had requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to postpone the duel due to the cyclone threat, but their plea was denied.
Bengal, which has four points, finds itself in a quandary as four of its prominent players – Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Abhimanyu Easwaran, and Abishek Porel – will be unavailable due to national duty. Seamer Ishan Porel and wicketkeeper-batter Shakir Habib Gandhi have been picked as replacements and should be hopeful of making it to the playing XI.
The Bengal batting will rely on Sudip Chatterjee, Sudip Gharami, captain Anustup Majumdar, and Wriddhiman Saha. Suraj Jaiswal and Mohammed Kaif will spearhead the bowling attack, while all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed will provide much-needed balance.
Even without Sanju Samson, Kerala, which practiced indoors on Friday, will rely on its top batters Rohan Kunnumal, Sachin Baby, Baba Aparajith, Mohammed Azharuddeen, and Jalaj Saxena. Basil Thampi and spinners Aditya Sarwate and Saxena will shoulder the responsibility in the bowling department for the touring team, which has collected seven points.
“It’s an unfortunate situation to have rains around this time. Without Bengal’s stalwarts, we should be able to break through,” said Kerala coach Amay Khurasiya.
