Delhi must raise standards ahead of Ranji tie with Gujarat

Delhi must respond after a nine-wicket loss to Bengal in Kalyani last week as the seven-time Ranji Trophy champions prepare to host Gujarat at the Palam 'B' ground in the Ranji Trophy from Sunday. The team will play its first-phase home matches at Palam while the outfield at the Arun Jaitley Stadium is being revamped.

In Kalyani, Delhi were comprehensively beaten and dismissed for 240 and 277 in their two innings by Bengal. The presence of Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar in Bengal’s pace attack helped restrict Delhi’s batting in that game.

Vijay Dahiya warned the Palam surface may not follow its usual pattern and flagged bounce as a potential factor. “It’s not a very typical Palam surface. Normally, you don’t see that much grass. I have a feeling that bounce can be an issue as the game goes on,” he assessed on Saturday.

Delhi have named a 17-member squad that includes aggressive left-hander Priyansh Arya, whose availability is a boost after the team were shot out for 240 and 277 by Bengal. The batting returns from Arya are expected to strengthen a unit that underperformed in the opener.

Delhi’s bowling was also criticised for allowing Bengal to post more than 400 in their first innings, a point Dahiya underlined while calling for greater consistency from pace spearhead Navdeep Saini. “Saini has been part of the Indian set-up. You want to see that mentality. An India player should stand out when he is playing a Ranji game,” Dahiya reasoned.

Gujarat opened their campaign with a 10-wicket victory over Odisha, powered by a century from Vedant Trivedi and half-centuries from Aarya Desai, Urvil Patel and Harshal Patel. Left-arm spinner Siddharth Desai took seven wickets across both innings.

Flights routinely pass this venue at low altitude given its proximity to the airport; Delhi and Gujarat meet at the Palam 'B' ground from Sunday.