Jammu & Kashmir batsman Manish Dogra was keen to know whether Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir in the Delhi team would take the field against the visiting side in the domestic T20 tournament on Tuesday. Dogra was a relieved man when he got the answer.

The Delhi team management, however, wasn’t too concerned about the India openers’ absence. The think-tank was rather more interested in finding a place for Virat Kohli and Ishant Sharma in the playing XI, knowing well that the duo have been named in the first two one-dayers against Australia.

With Team India’s training camp beginning in Mumbai from Tuesday, their presence was always going to be doubtful. Still the management was hopeful of getting them a few games, before a stern no from the BCCI dashed all hopes.

Plenty to worry about
But as the day progressed, they were plenty of worries for the Delhi team in waiting. And it was the state of pitch that had the entire management walking around the Palam-I ground with worried looks.

“The pitch is damp and I doubt whether it would be ready by tomorrow,” Delhi skipper Aakash Chopra said on the sidelines of team practice here on Monday. His opposite number, Vinayak Mane, who along with Hiken Shah and Manvender Bisla forms the crux of the J&K batting ranks, also agreed.

“It reminds me of playing in the Kanga League matches, where we play during monsoon. Let’s see what happens in the morning,” Mane said. But the man who will have the final word on the pitch, match referee Amit Sharma said he and the umpires will decide the issue only on the morning of the match.

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