Ajinkya Rahane and Dhawal Kulkarni set return in Ranaji match

Star players Ajinkya Rahane and Dhawal Kulkarni are all set to take the field as defending champions Mumbai meet Bengal in the Ranji Trophy at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday.

While the right-hander had missed the opener against Saurashtra due to injury, the medium-pacer was serving a one-match ban he’d earned during the Irani Trophy tie against Rest of India in October.

This season could turn out to be extremely crucial for both youngsters. While Kulkarni has been named in the India squad on one occasion, Rahane, who has scored over 4,000 runs in 41 first-class matches at an average of nearly 67, is certainly one for the future.

For the record, both Mumbai and Bengal (Group A) had pocketed three points from their opening round encounters (against Saurashtra and Delhi respectively) and will look to go one better.
Mumbai had amassed 580 in the first innings before dismissing Jaydev Shah & Co for 374.

Wasim Jaffer was severely criticised by the Mumbai Cricket Association after he decided against enforcing the follow-on. The Mumbai skipper had earlier lamented the “flat” wicket on offer.

Bengal, on their part, had smarted Delhi in their own backyard. Virat Kohli’s strokeful 173 couldn’t take his side past Bengal’s 473.

Meanwhile, Jaffer can’t wait to bat at the Eden. “This has been happy hunting ground for me,” the stylish right-hander said. After all, he had scored 202 and 56 in a high-scoring draw against Pakistan in 2007.

Jaffer said he’s happy with his boys’ form. “We would like to continue the good work. If we can play to our potential, we can get the better of Bengal,” he said. Jaffer, however, warned his boys against complacency. “There is no room for leniency. We are in a tough group. All matches have to be taken seriously,” he said.

While Kulkarni will replace Javed Khan (who made his debut last week), either wicketkeeper Omkar Gurav or Prashant Naik will have to sit out in order to accommodate Rahane. And if Gurav is asked to make way, then opener Sushant Marathe will keep wickets.

Jaffer will join the southpaw at the top and Rahane will bat at his regular No 3 position. Rohit Sharma, Abhishek Nayar, Ajit Agarkar and Iqbal Abdulla and Ramesh Powar are all set to play. Aavishkar Salvi will share the new ball with Kulkarni.

The pitch has a tinge of grass and Bengal’s new-ball pair of Ashoke Dinda and Ranadeb Bose will be more than handy. Opener Arindam Das, who flayed Delhi with a confident 156, will also want to continue the good work. Tiwary, too, would want to make a mark and resurrect his India dreams to some extent.