Pace versus pace on a grassy pitch

VADODARA: Friday’s Ranji Trophy semifinal between Baroda and Mumbai here at the GSFC ground portends to be a match with a lot of difference from the usual run-of-mill domestic games that one has come to witness over the years.
For starters, India is not engaged in any international tournament and everyone, including the players are solely focussed on the match.Both teams boast of quality pacemen with the likes of Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar and Avishkar Salvi flying in from Dhaka after playing in the recently concluded tri-series against South Africa and Bangladesh. Thirdly, the track is no shirt-front and the much-tortured Indian medium pace bowlers are licking their lips in anticipation for letting it rip on a grassy wicket that has reputation of being a bouncy one.
However, Mumbai skipper Paras Mhambrey played down the hype on the wicket by stating that it looked like it would help bowler as well as batsman. “No we are not bothered about the grass on it as the wicket at the Wankhede is somewhat similar. A score of 70 plus by a batsman will be worth a century on a flat track,� pointed out Mhambrey while speaking at a joint press conference along with rival skipper Connor Williams on the eve of the match.
Teams (from): Baroda: Connor Williams (captain), Satyajit Parab, R Solanki, Dhiren Salvi, Tushar Arothe (v.captain), Ajit Bhoite, Nayan Mongia (WK), Zaheer Khan, Rakesh Patel, Irfan Pathan (Jr), Valmik Buch, Irfan Pathan (Sr), R Parab, R Chandorkar. Coach: Vikram Hazare, manager: Vasudev Patel.
Mumbai: Paras Mhambrey (captain), Sairaj Bahutule (vc), Wasim Jaffer, Vinayak Mane, Bhavin Thakkar, Amol Mazumdar, Nishit Shetty, Ramesh Powar, Vinayak Samant, Ajit Agarkar, Avishkar Salvi, Nilesh Kulkarni, Swapnil Hazare, Robin Morris, Vineet Indulkar. Coach: Chandrakant Pandit, manager: A Mallik.