Delhi face an uphill task

Mumbai all-rounder Abhishek Nayar,spinner Romesh Powar have been rested.

There were a couple reasons for Delhi to miss the man they call Masterji on eve of their make or break last league Ranji Trophy game against bitter rivals Mumbai. Injured pacer Kapil Yadav,who is a primary school teacher,would have certainly been a handful for the rival batsmen on Roshanaras green pitch while his sharp mental mathematics would have been handy during a game where Delhis fortunes depend on complex calculations about points. While Mumbai has booked its place in the quarter-final,Delhi is clubbed with four other teams in Group A that are in contention for the last eight spot. To avoid complicated arithmetic,Delhi need an outright win to wriggle out from the tight spot that they find themselves in. Before the game Delhi had the option of playing on the same green pitch that saw them gain five points against Assam and lose five in the subsequent tie against Railways. But Delhi wanted to make a fresh start and a fresh track as they hosted their old rival Mumbai.

The big change for Delhi happens to be the inclusion of in-form India player Virat Kohli.

And with Mithun Manhas too returning after injury,Delhis fragile middle order that got exposed against Railways now has extra cover. Mumbai can counter that threat as they have in their rank batsmen of the caliber of Rohit Sharma and Wasim Jaffer. Virat and Rohit did crack a few jokes between them during practice on Tuesday; but when the teams take field an interesting rivalry is expected to unfold .

Delhi had some good news in store for them as Mumbai landed. Missing from the travelling party were three crucial players Abhishek Nayar,Ramesh Powar and Dhawal Kulkarni. While Nayar and Powar have been rested,Kulkarni is still recuperating from a shin injury.

Meanwhile,batsman Ajinkya Rahane didnt turn up at the nets because of an upset stomach. Ajit Agarkar is back though,and will lead the pace attack along with Avishkar Salvi and Santosh Shinde. Iqbal Abdulla will keep his place as the sole left-arm spinner for his batting abilities despite Harmeet Singhs splendid performance in the last game.

Delhi is far from settled,and the late pull out of left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra had only complicated matters. Manhas and the Delhi thinktank were undecided about the playing XI on match eve.

Contrasting scenes in the dressing room after the net session gave an idea about the mindset of the two teams. While the hosts were subdued,the loud bunch of visitors had a relaxed lunch together.