Ranji Trophy: Delhi face stiff spin challenge

NAGPUR: They might have struggled in the last few years but this Ranji Trophy season has been different for Delhi, who are sitting pretty on the top of Group B.
Last year, Delhi had the chance to qualify for the knockouts after Round Six but they lost both their matches outright to Punjab and eventual champions Karnataka.
This year, Delhi have 31 points from six matches, which include four outright victories - three of those with bonus points.Their next destination is Nagpur, where they take on Vidarbha in the penultimate round on Thursday .
Vidarbha might have been a punching bag in the past but the hosts have revived themselves in the last two or three years. Much like Delhi, they are the only unbeaten team in Group 'B' and are alive in the race for the knockouts.
The Delhi tie will decide their fate. Unlike the previous two matches - which produced dull draws - the wicket at Vidarbha Cricket Association's Jamtha Stadium will be result oriented.
If proceedings at the nets session are any indication, spinners will call the shots right from the start. Vidarbha opener Faiz Fazal was training for the sweep, trying to keep the ball along the ground.
Wicketkeeper Urvesh Patel - who is likely to be replaced with out-of-form Amol Ubarhande - was keeping mostly to spinners, while Subramaniam Badrinath and Ganesh Satish were using their feet regularly in the nets.
These are enough indications that Vidarbha are playing on a track similar to the one in the last match against Gujarat, which gave them their first outright victory.