Bhubaneswar: Orissa will look to start on a positive note against Andhra Pradesh in their Group C Ranji Trophy game starting Tuesday at the Dr PVG Raju ACA Sports Complex in Vizianagaram. Orissa were frustrated by rain when they faced Tripura in their season-opener, a game from which they were expecting six points. In the process they had to be satisfied with one point only.
Andhra, however, will not be pushovers as they have shown in their first two games of the season. They took first innings leads in their games against former champions Tamil Nadu and Baroda and currently have six points from two matches. So for Orissa it will indeed be a tough proposition away from home.
There will probably not be any major changes in the Orissa squad who played against Tripura. There is however, a possibility that young off-spinner Subham Nayak may get a place in the final XI as the pitch at the venue tends to favour spinners.
Orissa skipper Govind Poddar however, is optimistic about Orissa’s chances for an outright win. “We will play attacking cricket and go for full points. We have no other option, more so with the first game being washed out,” he stated.
Andhra, on the other have seasoned performers like Hanuma Vihari, Ricky Bhui and B Sumanth all of whom have scored centuries this season. Former India ODI player Venugopal Rao also lends stability in the middle order. The bowling will be led by left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt who has so far picked up eight wickets in the two games his side has played.
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