da fazobetai： A preview of the fifth-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Super League 2008-09
da 888： Cricinfo staff28-Nov-2008
Will the Rajasthan bowlers suffer at the hands of Cheteshwar Pujara © Cricinfo Ltd
:Group AGujarat v Punjab in Ahmedabad
Gujarat, equal on 12 points with Saurashtra but third in the table, would be wary of slipping up against Punjab, who have seven points from four games. With the Mumbai-Hyderabad match postponed due to the terrorist strikes in Mumbai, Gujarat could move up a place or two with a win or a first-innings lead. They began their season with a big win followed by a loss, but have since collected six points by virtue of the first-innings lead in draws against Hyderabad and Delhi. Punjab have had a disappointing run so far. Five of their seven points came from a win against bottom-placed Rajasthan, and they lost and conceded the first-innings lead in the other two.Saurashtra v Rajasthan in Rajkot
There have been been centuries galore so far at the Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground, where Saurashtra’s Cheteshwar Pujara has piled up 675 runs in five innings. Saurashtra would be frustrated after failing to beat leaders Mumbai, who hung on for a draw on the final day, in their last game. Currently in second place, Saurashtra are expected to force a win against Rajasthan. Under a new captain, Venugopal Rao, Rajasthan have been unable to match up to the other teams. However, if the pitch favours the batsmen, Rajasthan could fancy their chances of boosting their point tally – they have two – by winning the toss and scoring a big total; if that happens, they will also increase their chances of moving out of the relegation zone.Group BAndhra v Tamil Nadu in Vijayawada
Tamil Nadu are the in-form team in the group, with one big win and two first-innings leads in three games so far. The bowlers and batsmen performed in unison in their previous game and the result was an innings-and-238-run win against Uttar Pradesh, last year’s finalists. Coach WV Raman would be hoping his team continues to remain focused after a short break – they did not play the last round of matches. They take on neighbours Andhra, who come into the game on the back of two losses. They are last in the group, with two points from four games, and another poor batting display could jolt their chances of staving off relegation.Baroda v Maharashtra in Vadodara
Both Baroda and Maharashtra are two points above Andhra but have a game in hand. A win for either will put them back in the reckoning for a quarter-final place. Baroda battled to avoid defeat in their previous game in Bangalore, but a rejuvenated Karnataka ensured the visitors did not go home with any points, completing a ten-wicket win on the final day. Baroda’s four points so far have come against teams placed currently above them. Their opponents, Maharashtra, conceded first-innings points against Tamil Nadu, lost to Uttar Pradesh, and gained two against Andhra. Both teams would look to score more points in the second half of their league matches.
