Ranji Trophy Q/F: Odisha have task cut out against Gujarat

JAIPUR: It's knockout time in the 2016-17

Ranji

Trophy season and Gujarat lock horns with Odisha in a quarterfinal encounter at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium starting on Friday.

Both teams come into the game after having an identical season during the league stage, of eight matches, in terms of wins and draws - two and five respectively - but Odisha lost their last game to Jharkhand. Gujarat's game against Bengal was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Gujarat go into the five-day game -being a knockout match - as the favourites. All eyes will be on Priyank Panchal who has already pulverised the opposition with scores of 113, 314 not out, 56 not out, 232 and 62 in his last five innings. He has already scored more than 1000 runs in the year and looks set to keep going. They will also get the Parthiv Patel boost as he joined the squad on Thursday. Odisha captain Govinda Poddar, though, sounded confident going into the game. “We have been playing well this year and if we do the basics right, we can perform well in the game,” Poddar said on Thursday.

KEY MEN

GUJARAT: Parthiv Patel, Priyank Panchal, Jasprit Bumrah.

ODISHA: Biplab Samantray, Govind Poddar.