A shot at redemption for Gujarat and Delhi

                                  

Both sides seek to put the disappointment of their Ranji Trophy campaigns behind

In this year’s Vijay Hazare Trophy tournament, the word atonement has been writ large. Karnataka, Delhi and Tamil Nadu were among other fancied teams that had failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the Ranji Trophy.

Conversely, none of the last four in the Vijay Hazare limited-over tournament was from the bunch which progressed to the quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy.

On Monday, when Delhi takes on Gujarat in the final at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, it will offer the two sides a shot at redemption.

“We have played really well throughout,” said Gujarat skipper Parthiv Patel. “We have had a good season. Unfortunately, in the Ranji we couldn’t go into the knockouts.

“But we are a good one-day side. We played a final four years back. It was just a matter of time before we played good cricket, and that’s what we have done throughout this tournament.”

Delhi’s Unmukt Chand said: “We did not qualify (for the Ranji knockouts) because we lost one of the matches against Assam, when we were topping the table. We wanted to recover from that setback and really prove that we were a good side.

“We need to go out there and win this match,” Chand said.

No one who has followed the tournament closely would consider a Gujarat-Delhi final an aberration. The two are perhaps the better-rounded of all the sides.

Both have a fair sprinkling of stardust; Delhi perhaps a tad more due to the presence of Shikhar Dhawan, Gautam Gambhir and Ishant Sharma to Gujarat’s Axar Patel and Parthiv.

But they have both demonstrated at various points that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

“In the shorter format you need everyone to play his role,” explained Parthiv. “Like scoring 20 runs at the end or scoring a quick 30 or 40 at the top. It can change the momentum, especially in low-scoring games.

“Bowlers have done their job too. The likes of Rujul Bhatt or Rohit Dahiya; if you look at their figures, you might think they haven’t performed exceedingly well, but they have done the job.”

On Delhi’s resurgence, Chand said: “Gauti bhai has backed the youngsters to the hilt. There are so many young players who have come in. It proves our mettle, and what Delhi is capable of doing.”

The final, though, might require the two to change tack a bit.

After having played only day matches until now, the day-night affair might present a new set of challenges. While Chand said it would not make that big a difference, Parthiv seemed wary.

“We will think,” the latter said. “We have played just the one game here [Chinnaswamy].

“The ball seamed and swung. It’s a tricky wicket. We have thought about a couple of combinations. We will see the conditions tomorrow and then make a call.”

If all that has happened in the domestic scene thus far is any evidence, another giant-killing act shouldn’t be discounted.

“We can’t take any opposition lightly,” said Chand. “We have got enough instances to prove that.”

Parthiv cited the instance of Tamil Nadu, the team he helped Gujarat vanquish in the semifinal. “They had five Test players and a lot of India-A regulars,” he said. “We usually don’t worry. We are focussing on our cricket and hope to go one step ahead.”

“This opportunity doesn’t come easily. We are here deservingly. We are looking forward to it.”