Post News Network
Cuttack, Feb 8: Orissa batting coach Shiv Sunder Das exuded confidence that they will achieve an outright win against Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy tie when the game resumes Monday.
“The first hour tomorrow (Monday) will be crucial. There will be some life and if we can get through it, then we will definitely win the tie. The pitch has eased out considerably. Both Anurag and Govind are batting brilliantly. If they continue in the same vein, I am sure we can win outright,” Shiv stated after the end of the day’s play Sunday.
When asked to comment on Orissa’s poor batting show this season Shiv pointed out that it has been a learning curve for the youngsters. “You shouldn’t judge by one season only. They are young and learning. They will deliver in the long run. We just need to have faith on them,” Shiv asserted.
Shiv also stated that he was surprised at the way the pitch behaved early on. Orissa needed one point to save relegation at the start of the tie and many thought that the pitch will be batting-friendly. “Yeah, it was bit of a surprise for me,” Shiv stated. “But then I would also credit the bowlers of both the sides. They used the track to the hilt.”
Pace spearhead Basant Mohanty also expressed confidence about winning. “The wicket was bowler-friendly early on. But now it has become relatively easy to bat on if you apply yourself. So if we apply ourselves we should win the game,” stressed Basant.
