Hand him the red cherry instead and, in nippy conditions that prevail here, he’s a dangerous customer. There’s a certain methodology with which Joginder Sharma has shaped up this season (highest wicket taker). Left out of the Indian team in 2003, the Haryana skipper has been working on his accuracy and has put in relentless hours in the nets.

“My batting has been good and I wanted to stress more with the ball. I wanted to improve on my line and length and thus bowled on cement wickets because anything short or full, it’s easier for the batsman to hit. Also I worked with the white ball and the old ball. I didn’t consciously work on my pace, but my teammates tell me it has increased. I feel that I am bowling around 130 kmph,” he says.

And then comes the big question. What about the 12th of January? “Kissko intezaar nahin hai us din ka,” Joginder says with a wry smile. He’s a big name here in these parts but his counterpart in Delhi is a bigger name —Virender Sehwag.

It’s a bit ironic but both leaders find themselves distinctly wrapped in optimism, sitting on two different poles when the selectors sit to name the 30 probables for the World Cup and team for the ODIs against West Indies.

Joginder is optimistic of a chance after bowling 202.4 overs, scalping 38 wickets in six matches with two seven wickets hauls in an innings and two big hundreds in this first class season; Sehwag, with a total of 89 on the last Test tour is optimistic that his name still carries weight. He missed practice and drove down to join the team only late tonight; maybe, he will get one last chance in the match to make the cut with his performance instead.

As one manages a three-hour drive from the capital, escaping the maze of traffic snarls through a well-designed network of kuchha sadak running in between mustard and sugarcane fields, the Ch Bansi Lal Stadium in this little village of Lahli, 15 km from the city of Rohtak, braces for a battle of optimism.

There are a few others too, like Ashish Nehra and Gautam Gambhir. They too will be watched.

There are selfish desires to this Ranji game, and this Jat land is waiting for their bhai Sehwag to appease their appetite with a power-packed performance. Delhi needs its too to wipe out any possibility of relegation; similar to what Haryana expects from Joginder.

The wicket looks a lot dry with threatening cracks all around but is expected to hold firm. As the chill gets evident, the ball will move a lot longer through the air and tempt both sides to move in with three seamers each.

Delhi will have three changes from the last match as Sehwag, Gambhir and Nehra coming in for Virat Kohli, Ishant Sharma (both away for India under-19) and Suhail Sharma, who’s been dropped form the squad.