Rest hold the edge as Mumbai gather wits

There are, however, a few problems for hosts Mumbai. Trying to cope with the absence of stars Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli and Ajit Agarkar doing the National duty they have been crippled further following the decision of Amit Pagnis to play for the Railways and medium pacer Shriram Kannan nursing a back injury. Pagnis, who was named in the squad, withdrew late on Wednesday evening.

Skipper Sameer Dighe still exuded confidence. 8220;This is a challenge for us to prove that we can win without Tendulkar, Kambli and Agarkar.8221;

Brushing aside skepticism Dighe said, 8220;I8217;m not really worried. The responsibility now falls on Wasim Jaffer and Amol Muzumdar.8221;

While Dighe would be expecting the youngsters to deliver the goods, Mumbai will surely be short on experience against an impressive looking opposition.

Mumbai8217;s batting appears to be a big worry. Except for Muzumdar, Jaffer, Dighe and south-paw Kiran Powar the others are woefully short on experience.

Opener Vinayak Mane Pagnis8217; replacement and left-hand batsman Nishit Shetty are yet to be capped while Sushant Manjrekar made his debut just last season.

On the bowling front Paras Mhambrey will lead the attack with Santosh Saxena while spinners Ramesh Pawar along with either left-arm orthodox Ramesh Powar or Nilesh Kulkarni will have a tough job on hand.

Mumbai doesn8217;t seem to have the firepower that can test the strength of the strong batting line of the Rest, led by Vangipuru Venkata Sai VVS Laxman, who himself has had a fabulous season gone by.

Studded with aspirants for a place in the Indian team, Rest of India boast of reliable batsmen in Sadagopan Ramesh, Shiv Sunder Das, Mohammad Kaif, Jacob Martin and Virendra Sehwag. Added to this they have young allrounders in Ritender Singh Sodhi and Laxmi Ratan Shukla.

It8217;s bowling too is well balanced despite the absence of India bowler Javagal Srinath. Dodda Ganesh, who replaces Srinath, will form a wily combination along with Ashish Nehra and Sodhi.

In the spin section Murali Karthik will be out to show his skills with off-spinner Sharandeep Singh.

Presented with a great chance, seasoned campaigner and captain Laxman was looking to a 8220;good start to the new season8221; but did not play down the capabilities of Mumbai. 8220;I8217;ve always considered Mumbai as a fighting unit.

They are a good side. I8217;ve always felt that Mumbai has got a lot of talent and in the absence of star players they would only be raring to go. I am sure they will put up a good fight,8221; he said.

On his own team8217;s chances he said, 8220;This is our best chance to beat Mumbai. The main thing for us is to play positive cricket. But surely, we will not be complacent.8221;

The Teams: Mumbai from: Sameer Dighe Capt., Wasim Jaffer, Vinayak Mane, Amol Muzumdar, Ramesh Powar, Rajesh Pawar, Nilesh Kulkarni, Kiran Powar, Paras Mhambrey, Santosh Saxena, Shriram Kannan, Nishit Shetty, Swapnil Hazare, Amit Dani, Sushant Manjrekar Coach: Ashok Mankad

Rest of India from: VVS Laxman Capt. Hyd, Sadagopan Ramesh TN, Shiv Sunder Das Orissa, Mohammad Kaif UP, Jacob Martin Baroda, Abhijit Kale Mah, Virendra Sehwag Delhi, Ajay Ratra wk, Raj, Murali Karthik Rlys, Dodda Ganesh K8217;taka, Ashish Nehra Delhi, Laxmi Ratan Shukla WB, Sharandeep Singh and Reetinder Singh Sodhi Pun.

Umpires: AV Jayaprakash, SK BansalHours of play: 9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.; 1 p.m. to 2.40 p.m.; 3 p.m. to 4.35 p.m.

Srinath opts out
Much of the hype surrounding the Irani Trophy here died down as India bowler Javagal Srinath chose to skip the tie to give his troublesome knee the much-needed rest.

In a faxed message sent to the board8217;s executive secretary Sharad Diwadkar, Srinath expressed his inability to play in the match being advised rest by his doctor after taking injections for his injured knee.

Srinath8217;s place in the side will be taken by his Karnataka teammate Dodda Ganesh.