The dry pond, about 12 feet deep, in the middle of a small township more famous for its proximity to picturesque Daman, was a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Converting it into a stadium was a massive exercise but Valsad finally got its own cricket facility, a ground that is now becoming known for churning out exciting, sporting pitches in the era of boring, flat tracks.

Old-timers now say that no domestic batsman would be truly worth his salt without scoring runs here, where defending Ranji champions Delhi and current holders of the Plate Division title, Gujarat, start another four-day face-off on Sunday.

Things should be interesting because of the pitch, which is complete with all the ingredients — early morning dampness, live grass, coastal breeze, and the red soil that provides bounce and carry.

Desperately in need of points, this game is more crucial for Delhi than any this season, and the absence of some of their main players is adding to problems. The visitors have decided to hand out batsmen Gaurav Chhabra and Yogesh Nagar — craving for a chance to prove themselves for a long time now — their debut caps.

Aditya Jain has been dropped from the XI while Rajat Bhatia is unavailable, having taken time off for his wedding.

After the bowlers’ lion-hearted effort in the last three games on unresponsive wickets, Delhi are confident of doing better on this this track but their main worry has been their batting, especially the lack of big scores from skipper Aakash Chopra to his deputy Shikhar Dhawan.

... contd.