Maharashtra to take on Vidarbha today

Maharashtra captain Rohit Motwani said that the wicket was flat and looked a good batting surface. "There is almost no grass on the wicket and it looks like it will offer true bounce. Its a batting track but I feel it will start to turn from the third day," said the Maharashtra skipper. Motwani also said that getting a good result was very important for the team as it would get their season on track. "We haven't had the best of starts but we are confident that we can turn it around. Vidarbha is a strong side and we will be going all out to ensure that we walk away from this match with something which does justice to our effort," he said. Motwani also said that the toss would be important, "Looking at the wicket and its batsman friendly nature, I am sure the toss will play a crucial role. However, we are prepared for any eventuality," he said. Vidarbha captain Sairaj Bahutule said that bowlers would need to work hard on a surface that has traditionally been a batsman-friendly one. "It is very important for bowlers to consistently hit the right areas to get rewarded. Spinners also need to get their landing points spot on," he said.

Maharashtra have rung a few changes in their squad, middle-order batsman, Nikhil Paradkar has been dropped, Sachin Chaudhary, Deepak Shilamkar and Satyajit Bachhav have also been left out. Their places have been taken by Avdoot Dandekar, Prayag Bhati and Rahul Tripathi, all of whom have come off the back of strong showings in the Colonel C K Nayudu trophy. Skipper Motwani said that there could be a couple of changes in the side but the exact composition of the team would be decided on the day of the match.

Chirag Khurana's inability to score at the top of the order has resulted in pressure being felt by the middle-order and the team would be keen for the opener to get a significant score under his belt.

Maharashtra's batsmen were guilty of manufacturing too many shots in Chennai in a second innings chase, on a difficult wicket, something which came in for criticism from the captain. Maharashtra will be hoping that the batsmen keep their calm on a wicket which is not expected to throw up any surprises and put up a good total for their bowlers to defend.

ALSO READ

Freeze your wedding memories in 3D video

Hate speech: Pune court asks police to book Owaisi

CCTV cameras bought for CYG ‘vanish’

Kalmadi in troubled waters, rivals ready to make a 'splash'