Ranji Trophy 2012-13: Vidarbha look to register another outright win

Vadodara: High on confidence following their comprehensive win over Haryana in their tournament opener, Vidarbha would look to carry on the momentum and go for another outright victory when they take on a depleted Baroda in their second Ranji Trophy Group B match here on Friday.

Baroda, who could only manage a draw in their opening tie against Karnataka, will have to play out of their skins against an in-form Vidarbha team, especially in the absence of key players -- Irfan Pathan, who had suffered a knee injury in their last match, and an already injured Munaf Patel. While Vidarbha had secured six points from their victory in the first game, Baroda earned three points on the basis of the first innings lead in the drawn encounter. Vidarbha though will start as favourites but they would certainly miss the services of their star pacer Umesh Yadav, who is currently on national duty with India-England Test series starting on November 15 in Ahmedabad. Yadav had taken five for 18 to bundle Haryana out for a humiliating 55 in first innings, while he chipped in with two more wickets in the second innings. In Yadav`s absence, the team would bank on another fast bowler in Sandeep Singh, who also shone in the first match with eight wickets from two innings. Besides Sandeep, Shrikant Wagh may also prove to be handy for the team. As far as the batting is concerned, Vidarbha do not boast of any big names but the presence of experienced batsmen like Shiv Sunder Das and Hemang Badani, both of whom had played for India, would give them confidence. The hosts, meanwhile, will have to quickly get their act together in the absence of in-form Irfan Pathan, who had slammed a century against Karnataka in the last game to help his side take first innings lead. Another first-innings centurion of the previous match, Aditya Waghmode will require to take more responsibility, while Ambati Rayudu and captain Yusuf Pathan would be expected to strike form at the earliest. Having failed in both batting and bowling in the last game, it will a good opportunity for Yusuf to prove his talent on his home ground. Fast bowler Murtuza Vora, who has been included in the Baroda team in place of Irfan taking into consideration the pacer-friendly nature of the wicket, would also look to do well. Teams (from): Baroda: Yusuf Pathan (capt), Ambati Rayudu (vice-capt), Aditya Waghmode, Rakesh Solanki, Ketan Panchal, Murtuza Vora, Pinal Shah (wk), Abhimanyu Chauhan, Gagandeepsingh Natt, Firdos Bhaja, Sankalp Vohra, Bhargav Bhatt, Sagar Mangalorkar, Utkarsh Patel, Kedar Devdhar. Vidarbha: Sairaj Bahutule (capt), Ranjit Paradkar (vice-capt), Shiv Sunder Das, Faiz Fazal, Apoorv Wankhade, Gaurav Upadhyaya, Hemang Badani, Aniruddha Chore (wk), Amol Jungade, Badrivala, Sumit Ruikar, Sandeep Singh, Urvesh Patel (wk), Shalabh Shrivastava, Shrikant Wagh. PTI