Delhi’s bowling, though many shades better than their batting, has been too rigid, and the decision to leave out specialist off-spinner Narinder Singh, even when Saurashtra have five left-handers in their ranks, could turn out to be crucial. The 3-1 bowling combination of Pradeep Sangwan, Sumit Narhwal and Parvinder Awana, with leg-spinner Chetnya Nanda, seems fixed and there’s been little support from Bhatia this season with the ball. Yogesh Nagar is likely to get the nod ahead of Gaurav Chabbra for a place in the XI, not just for his batting but also for his off-spinning abilities.

When Saurashtra played Delhi here two years ago, the hosts had won and picked up the bonus point — a victory that they openly admit was a big turning point for them. Battling relegation, they had emerged stronger and gone all the way to the semis last year.

Delhi, though, have some positives to look back on as well. The last time Chopra and Mithun Manhas played on this ground, both got unbeaten double-hundreds in a Duleep Trophy tie. They need an encore, for nothing less than five points will do.