Tamil Nadu take on Mumbai in battle of two batting sides

The Wankhede Stadium at Mumbai received a heavy watering about 17 hours before the Ranji Trophy semifinal clash between Mumbai and Tamil Nadu. The outfield is as lush as ever, the 30 yard circle clipped short and the pitch a flat batting track. There is talk of the pitch taking turn in the later stages of the match. Surely that goes without saying for any pitch in the sub continent. However, the pitch does look like it will hold up for the duration of the match. There are no visible cracks and the surface looks hard enough to last five days.

The two teams are raring to go, with serious points to prove. For Mumbai, Sachin Tendulkar has just stepped down from the captaincy and will play under Sameer Dighe. Tendulkar has gone through a bad patch with the bat, but made runs in the last match he played. When the Asia XI took on the World XI at the Bangabandhu Stadium at Dhaka, Tendulkar was at his exciting best. Making 80 off just 77 balls, Tendulkar showed that the runs still flowed sweetly off his bat. Alongside him, several youngsters who've enjoyed good seasons will be looking to prove a point or two to the selectors.

Rajesh Pawar, Santosh Saxena and Ramesh Powar are keen to do well. Though they have come up with good performances for Mumbai, they have not been able to force their way into national reckoning.

For Tamil Nadu, Robin Singh will lead a side that is keen to lift the Ranji Trophy. They have not had as good a chance in many years. Sreedharan Sriram is in the best form of his short career. With over a thousand runs behind him in the current Ranji season, Sriram earned his India cap. The season is coming to an end and there is no better way for him to stay in the limelight than to play a big role in a Tamil Nadu success. Another Sreedharan - Sharath has been forgotten in the recent past but is still full of confidence.

The first day will be crucial. With five days to play for, the first innings lead takes less importance. Both teams will be pushing hard for an outright win. It's a case of two batting sides matching up on a batting track. Whoever holds their nerve better will come out on top.