Ranji Trophy: Mumbai brace for Bengal test

KOLKATA: After being beaten at home by Jammu & Kashmir and conceding the first innings lead to Railways in their next match, 40-time Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai displayed glimpses of their old form when they pulled out an incredible victory against Uttar Pradesh in their last match in Kanpur.
But just when it appeared that Mumbai had put their campaign back on track, their selectors took a bold decision by including six new faces for their Group A match against Bengal that gets under way at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.It will be interesting to see how this new-look Mumbai squad fares against a Bengal team that will be looking to bounce back after being mauled by Karnataka in their last outing.
In spite of the gamble of opting for a green-top backfiring against Karnataka, the Bengal team management have decided to stick with the same strategy against Mumbai. But this time, Bengal are likely to go in with an all-seam attack with Under-23 pacer Pritam Chakraborty set to make his first-class debut, replacing veteran Shib Shankar Paul. Bengal may also drop off-spinner Sourashis Lahiri and play an extra batsman in the form of U-23 player Abhimanyu Easwaran who is in good form this season. Mumbai captain Suryakumar Yadav, who described the pitch as 'challenging', also indicated that he would prefer three seamers and leftarm spinner Iqbal Abdulla, who is familiar with the Eden pitch having plied his trade with the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL.
"We played on a similar track (against UP) in our last match. So it won't be a problem," said Yadav, who however, refused to divulge whether he would bat first if he wins the toss.
With a handful of newcomers, Yadav will have to ensure that Mumbai have the right combination when they take the field. While Shrideep Mangela, Sufiyan Shaikh and young sensation Sarfaraz Khan have never featured in a first-class match, opener Akhil Herwadkar has played just one (November 2011) and Siddesh Lad has not played a first-class match since December 2013.
Thus the experienced trio of Abhishek Nayar, Aditya Tare and Yadav will have to take additional responsibility. Mumbai will definitely miss veteran Wasim Jaffer, who is out injured.
Bengal, on the other hand, need to pull up their socks after a poor show against Karnataka. The onus will be on their batmen who failed to bat out all three sessions in a day in both their innings in the last match.