India stars prepare for capital action

	Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir will strengthen Delhi's batting line-up © AFP

The teams would not have wanted it this way but the upshot of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai is that Delhi and Uttar Pradesh are at full strength for their fifth-round matches in the Ranji Trophy. It is also a minor sign of moving on, perhaps, that after all the international matches in India were suspended, not only are the Ranji matches going on but also with added interest of national stars.

Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Ishant Sharma and Virat Kohli will turn out for Delhi against Orissa while, barely five kilometers away in the capital, Mohammad Kaif, RP Singh and Praveen Kumar will play for Uttar Pradesh against Railways.

The moment the ODI between India and England on December 2 got cancelled, Delhi moved their Ranji Trophy match from the Roshanara Stadium, which is located on the outskirts of the capital, to their first-choice venue - the Feroz Shah Kotla.

Along with the news of the venue shift came a much-needed boost for Delhi: the availability of the four players who were now free of India commitments. In their four Group A matches so far, Delhi fielded first and struggled to bowl teams out. Apart from the first match against Punjab, Delhi failed to match their opponent's scores and were frustrated by the rival batsmen in the second innings. As a result, they collected only six points and are one bad match away from kissing the Ranji Trophy good bye.

The venue shift could help Delhi. They decided to go for an out-and-out green top at the Kotla, something Ishant should relish. "We are in dire need of a victory, and that's why we are going for a wicket that will assist the fast bowlers," Vijay Dahiya, the Delhi coach, said. "Having Ishant back means that we'll have that extra fire-power in our pace attack."

However Orissa's medium-pacers, led by Debasis and Basant Mohanty, are fresh from bowling Punjab out for 60 on a similar track and are unfazed by Delhi's star-studded line-up. "The victory against Punjab was a real confident booster, and came just in time," SS Das, Orissa's captain, said. "The return of big names to the Delhi outfit will be more helpful for us. We are a young team, and playing against the likes of Virender Sehwag and Ishant Sharma will give our guys excellent exposure"

With due respect to Orissa, it is a shame that Raina, Kaif, RP, Praveen and Piyush Chawla are not playing against Delhi. They will take on Railways at the Karnail Singh Stadium, which is about five kilometres from the Kotla.

UP have been typically reliant on Kaif and Praveen this season, and lost heavily to Tamil Nadu when both players were unfit. And despite bouncing back with an outright victory in the fourth round, they will be aware of a major handicap. Their pool - Group B - comprises seven teams which means one team has to rest during each round. UP's turn will be during the final round so they will want to make the most of their last two matches.

The players - RP and Praveen in particular - also have personal targets to achieve. Praveen was dropped from the Indian team after the ODIs in Sri Lanka and responded with a five-for on the first day of the Ranji season. However, he was injured during the second game and will be keen to impress tomorrow.

RP being dropped from the Indian squad during the series against England inadvertently became a matter of controversy. This is his chance to do well in domestic cricket and give his captain more reasons to back him, something Mahendra Singh Dhoni is believed to have done excessively. RP prepared for tomorrow's match by training with Manoj Prabhakar, who was one of India's finest swing bowlers.

UP's opponents, Railways, may not have a star-studded XI but they know how best to play at the Karnail Singh Stadium, one of the Ranji Trophy's citadels. They play all their matches there and make the best of the spinner-friendly conditions. Last week, their spinners - Murali Kartik, Kulamani Parida and Karan Sharma - took 15 wickets between them to beat Andhra by seven wickets. With a match in hand, Railways are currently two points behind UP, who are third in the table.

These may not be the best of times but as a result of the tragic events in Mumbai, Delhi has a cricket feast lined up over the next week. Two of the flashiest sides in the Ranji Trophy - the defending champions and the losing finalists from last year - will be in action. Delhi will be up against a side that has giant-killing skills, while UP face a disciplined team defending its fortress. Shuttling between the Kotla and the Karnail Singh Stadium might not be a bad idea.