Ranji Trophy tie : Orissa face uphill task

Post News Network

Bhubaneswar, Jan 28: After losing two successive games within three days, visitors Orissa will aim to check the rot when they take on a strong Punjab side at the Mohali Stadium, Thursday. Whether Orissa will be able to do that is a million dollar question, but looking at past performances, they do not infuse much hope.

Any team can lose a game. But the way Orissa have abjectly surrendered to Delhi and Rajasthan raise questions regarding the commitment of the cricketers. And with morale at an all time low, they are now facing Punjab who have players like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Sandeep Sharma and Manan Vora, to name a few. The signs are indeed ominous for the visitors.

Except for the three pacers – Basant Mohanty, Deepak Behera and Suryakant Pradhan, none of the others have been able to deliver the goods for Orissa – be it batting or bowling. The top and middle-order have failed to fire as a batting unit while the spinners have failed to come to the party. The result has been that Orissa are currently languishing at the bottom of Group B with only eight points from six points while Punjab already have 19.

The Mohali wicket which basically has a lot of bounce and carry will once more be an acid test for the Orissa batters. The hosts will definitely try and wrap up a convincing victory with a bonus point which will increase their chances for a place in the knockout stage.