Another lifeless wicket awaits Delhi

This is reflected on the pitch prepared by the hosts, which will be an ego-booster only for the batsmen. The heavy roller had been burning fuel all through Sunday morning till the afternoon, and seldom before has any strip looked so white in colour and even minutely devoid of grass. The wicket neither has bounce, nor will it afford great turn.

Hyderabad coach Kanwaljeet Singh has already announced his side’s strategy: bat well, and bat the opposition out to gain that crucial first innings lead — a strategy that Delhi haven’t appreciated. While Delhi are focussed on retaining the title, Hyderabad would consider remaining in the Elite division an achievement.

With not much choice, the defending champions will endure a 40-minute bumpy drive every morning to the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Uppal in a slugfest for three points rather than the full five. Skipper Aakash Chopra will be hoping for the effectiveness of Ashish Nehra, Pradeep Sangwan and Chetanya Nanda in the two hours of cross breeze in the morning. Delhi don’t have much knowledge of the opposition — apart from a Ravi Teja who smashes the ball around, and an Arjun Yadav who plays well in the middle order.

The hosts, though, have been served well by upcoming players like Anoop Pai, Rushi Raj and Abhinav, who were among the runs in the previous game against Orissa. The hosts are likely to replace Pragyan Ojha, while Delhi are likely to make two changes in their final XI. Mayank Tehlan will bat at number three in place of Virat Kohli, while Narinder Singh has been included as additional spinner instead of veteran Amit Bhandari.