Vijay Hazare Trophy: Hosts Rajasthan face minnows Pondicherry

JAIPUR: If there is a format where Rajasthan have stood exposed, it is the 50-over game. In the last few seasons, Rajasthan have narrowly escaped relegation in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and have failed to make it to the knockouts since the last 13 years.
A decent outing in the recently-concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where they made it to the quarterfinals, will give Rajasthan confidence entering into the ODI leg of the 2020-21 domestic season, but will the script change this year?
Rajasthan skipper Ashok Menaria is hopeful."We have failed to click as a unit in the previous seasons, but that shouldn't bog my team down. I have told the boys to not overthink about the past and instead play with freedom. We stood nowhere before we won the Ranji Trophy in 2010-11 and 2022-12. So, I am hopeful of a change this year," he said.
With teams like Delhi, Mumbai, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and last year's Plate Group toppers Puducherry to compete against in Group D, Ashok Menaria's outfit will have to raise the bar in all the three departments.
Rajasthan will open their Vijay Hazare campaign against minnows Pondicherry at the SMS Stadium on Sunday.
Medium-pacer Pankaj Singh who is now a vital cog in Pondicherry's team is looking forward to the challenge of playing against his former team and making most of the 'home advantage' at the SMS Stadium where he started his career, representing Rajasthan for 15 years. "I will be playing here after two years and it's a special feeling. Definitely I am familiar with the wicket at the SMS and I hope I am able to give my team Pondicherry a good start in the tournament. It's a new and an inexperienced side, which is shaping up as a highly-competitive unit. But we are capable of producing an upset," said the 35-year-old bowler, who opted to play for Pondicherry as a professional two seasons back.
Despite playing in their own backyard, Rajasthan do not wear a threatening look while Mumbai appears to be the side to beat.
The presence of players like Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Prithvi Shaw, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube makes Mumbai a tough opponent. India batsman Shikhar Dhawan in the team is a big boost for Delhi, no matter how much duration it is. Given the selection of Dhawan, Iyer and Yadav in the India squad for the T20Is against England, they will have to leave to honour their international commitments.