Bengal skipper Manoj Tiwary wants his boys to stay focused ahead of the all-important Ranji Trophy final clash against Saurashtra at the Eden Gardens starting on Thursday.
The final will once again be a repeat of the 2019-20 title decider, and Bengal will aim for revenge in front of the home fans after being beaten by Saurashtra back then.
“There is always room for improvement, so we need to rectify the mistakes done in the previous games and give our best tomorrow. We may have lost to them in the final earlier but now it’s a different situation,” Bengal skipper Manoj said in the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
“The current position is absolutely fantastic for Bengal cricket and we will aim to push it further upwards. All the players have contributed well this season and this is the beauty of Bengal,” he said.
Bengal, who last won the Ranji title back in 1989-90 season under the leadership of Sambaran Banerjee, are in superb form lately.
“We have won the title long back. Obviously, we are aware of that, but we don’t want to think much about that win and compare that team with this. We are focused on what we need to do in this match and come out as champions.
“As a captain I didn’t think I would come this far to take team to final and on threshold of trophy. Obviously as a player I had dream of it but to be able to lead the side and come this far is special,” Manni signed off.
On the other hand, skipper Jaydev Unadkat, whose inclusion in the side will be a big boost for Saurashtra ahead of the final, is also optimistic of his team’s chances.
“I will rate the pitch as a sporting one. We will witness a good game of cricket. The bowlers and batsmen will both get assist from the pitch. We have a great group of players and all are waiting for this moment. We will give our best to become champions again. We are now a formidable force now in domestic circuit.
“Bengal bowlers have done really well this season but I thin k it will be an even contest. There will be no favorites. The team who wins more session will be victorious,” Unadkat added.
Report- Pratyusha Mukherjee
Source : CAB
