"It will be a one-sided final and we will win" - Bengal skipper Manoj Tiwary roars ahead of Ranji Trophy final
In a recap of the 2019-20 final, Manoj Tiwary's Bengal will take on Saurashtra at Eden Gardens in Kolkata for the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy final, starting on Thursday, February 16. Jaydev Unadkat's return will certainly boost the visiting side ahead of the summit clash, but the Bengal camp is not perturbed by it.
Bengal thrashed defending champions Madhya Pradesh by 306 runs in the semi-finals at the Holkar Stadium to enter their second final in three years.
Two days later, the entire squad, barring all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed, who is suffering from a mild fever, attended a three-hour-long training session at Eden Gardens. While the batters had an extended net session, fast bowlers Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep were only present during the warm-up.
Bengal have succumbed to pressure in knockouts in the last few seasons, but that is not the case this time around. Tiwary, who will be playing his fourth final, is confident that he will leave the ground with the trophy.
"Saurashtra have played consistent cricket over a period of five to six years, Tiwary told media personnel at the CAB clubhouse after practice. "Whether it is shorter formats or the Ranji Trophy, they have made the quarter-finals and semi-finals consistently. If we analyze, they don't have any star cricketers who have represented India for a long time or have played in the IPL apart from [Cheteshwar] Pujara. Hence, it is proven that they play disciplined cricket.
"They prefer playing on slow wickets where pacers don't get much assistance, but here there will be carry for the fast bowlers," Tiway continued. "Although it's not right to make big statements before the match, but with due respect to Saurashtra, I believe it will be a one-sided final and we will obviously win it."
Bengal have four left-arm pacers in their training today to negate the threat of Jaydev Unadkat in the final. Skipper Manoj Tiwary asking the left-armers to go round the wicket. A big final awaits in two days time. #RanjiTrophy
Bengal have lost only once this season and have looked like one of the best teams in the competition so far. Three of their batters, Abhimanyu Easwaran (782), Sudip Gharami (789), and Anushtup Majumdar (790) have each scored close to 800 runs this season.
On the bowling front, Akash Deep has 37 scalps to his name, while Shahbaz Ahmed and Ishan Porel have picked up 20 and 24 wickets, respectively. Mukesh, who has been busy with India duties, has taken 18 wickets from four matches.
With favorable conditions on offer and players peaking at right time, Bengal certainly look like favorites to win their first Ranji Trophy title since 1989-90.
"Our team is one step ahead of them" - Manoj Tiwary on Jaydev Unadkat's claim that Saurashtra are a better side playing away from home
Jaydev Undakat, who was part of India's Test squad for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, has been released by the think tank to allow him to participate in the Ranji Trophy final.
Soon after landing in Kolkata from Nagpur, the senior fast bowler reiterated that they are eyeing nothing less than the title. He also highlighted that Saurashtra boast the best away record in the country.
Bengal practice gets underway ahead of the #RanjiTrophy final against Saurashtra starting Thursday. Skipper Manoj Tiwary had a close look at the pitch and had a chat with curator Sujan Mukherjee. #BENvSAU https://t.co/k1JhwQg465
Manoj Tiwary, however, refuted those claims in his own style with a cheeky smile and claimed that Bengal are one step ahead of their opponents.
"It's his statement and we respect it," he said. "But we have a better record than them in away matches despite losing the final (in 2019-20) at their home ground. He is the captain and he can make attacking statements but having said that our team is one step ahead of them," Tiway added.
Both sides have met each other in the Ranji Trophy on five occasions to date, with Saurashtra winning twice, while three games ended in a draw.
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