Hyderabad face Chhattisgarh in Ranji Trophy clash at Gymkhana Ground

Hyderabad: For Chhattisgarh captain Amandeep Khare, the memory of scoring a match-saving 171 against Hyderabad the last time the two teams met at Gymkhana Ground here should be a huge morale-booster.

So, when the two teams clash again in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group B league contest at the same venue, Amandeep could not be faulted if he hoped for a repeat performance.

Amandeep arguably played one of the finest innings ever at the venue against an attack that also included India star Mohammed Siraj.

Well, things change, and so do playing conditions and the strengths and weaknesses of the teams competing. But it is unmistakable that Amandeep, having led Chhattisgarh to an outright win against Andhra last week, should be optimistic about having a really good outing against the hosts, who settled for a draw against Punjab in their last match here.

For the record, Hyderabad tops Group B with 14 points from three matches, while Chhattisgarh has seven points from three games. No doubt, Chhattisgarh needs to get its act together to make a huge surge in the points table with an outright win.

On a pitch expected to produce a result, it is imperative for Chhattisgarh to see the likes of Amandeep, Anuj Tiwary, Ajay Mandal, Vikalp Tiwari and Dev Aditya Singh come good with the bat.

With the ball, left-arm spinner Dharmendra Sinh Jadeja has had an impressive season so far, claiming 16 wickets.

On the other hand, Hyderabad’s batting is top-heavy, with Tanmay Agarwal and Abhirath Reddy at the top, followed by the likes of Rahul Radesh, K. Himateja and Sai Pragnay Reddy.

In bowling, Hyderabad’s pace attack, comprising left-armer and captain Chama Milind and Rakshann Readdi, has to provide early breakthroughs for the left-arm spin duo of Tanay Thyagarajan and G. Aniketh Reddy to come good. Aniketh Reddy was disappointing in the last game, and the duo will be expected to ensure that Chhattisgarh do not post a huge total.

By all means, it should be an exciting contest, given the way the two teams battled it out the last time they met at this very venue.