Bengal look to brush aside off-field issues

KOLKATA: If timing is an important element in cricket, then the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has got it all wrong.
If last year it was trying to retain unwilling left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, this time there's an attempt to get rid of coach Sairaj Bahutule. Dissatisfied with the team's performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the association put both Bahutule and skipper Manoj Tiwary on a two-match notice just a week before the start of the Ranji Trophy, the country's premium domestic tournament.
No wonder it led to a lot of heartburn, with Tiwary - who was named captain for the entire season more than three months ago - expressing his anger and disappointment. The last practice session before the team left town to play their first match in Amtar, Himachal Pradesh, presented a picture of a divided house.
Not the ideal build-up to the season opener, but the association will hope that newly-appointed mentor Arun Lal manages to inculcate team spirit in the Bengal camp as they take on a spirited and young Himachal Pradesh side.
Last season, Bengal had failed to force an outright win against the same rivals at Eden Gardens with Himachal skipper Rishi Dhawan playing a lone hand to force a draw. Dhawan is again expected to play an important role in conditions that are expected to suit the bowlers.
Given that it was the batsmen who failed miserably in the Hazare Trophy, the onus will be on the likes of Abhimanyu Easwaran, Tiwary and Sudip Chatterjee to deliver the goods.
"The pitch looked sporting with a bit of grass," Bahutule was quoted as saying on the CAB website. "Winter is just setting in, so it's cold in the morning and evening." However, he did not feel toss will be an important factor.
The coach indicated the team may go in with five specialist batsmen, so it's all the more important that openers Easwaran and Abhishek Raman provide a solid start.
The pace attack of Ashok Dinda and Ishan Porel will have their task cut out against Himachal skipper Sumeet Verma, Nikhil Gangta and Ankush Bains, who was part of India 'B' side in the recent Deodhar Trophy.
Bengal face a big challenge as they look to bury off-field issues and bring their A-game on the field.