Struggling Delhi start life after Gambhir

A struggling Delhi take on Kerala in a Ranji Trophy Elite Group 'B' game beginning here on Friday with a lot at stake for both teams.

Delhi, last year's runners-up, have found the going difficult this season and has seven points from four games. They are yet to win a game and now run into Kerala, who will be aiming to bounce back from a loss to Tamil Nadu.

Delhi will also miss the services of veteran left-hander Gautam Gambhir, who retired from first-class cricket after the Andhra Pradesh tie in which he scored a memorable ton.

Kerala have won two matches so far and are placed second in the points table (on 13) behind Madhya Pradesh. After putting up a strong performance to tame Bengal at the Eden Gardens, thanks to a sterling show by all-rounder Jalaj Saxena, the team came a cropper against Tamil Nadu in Chennai.

Skipper Sachin Baby will be expecting the players to put the loss to TN behind and perform well at home. The pacers Basil Thampi and Sandeep Warrier have put their hand up and done well, especially in the TN game.

Kerala will be aiming for a win against the visitors in a bid to boost the chances of qualifying for the knockouts.

The game is also important for Delhi and skipper Dhruv Shorey, who missed out on a ton against Andhra, will be keen to step up and expect the others to rise to the occasion. Moreover, the bowlers need to improve if the team has to win.

With four more games to go, Delhi isn't happily placed in the group and may need to win the remaining matches to entertain hopes of qualification for the knockout stage. They would be aiming to turn things around, beginning with the game against Kerala, who have been up and down, so to say.

Though Delhi will miss the experience of Gambhir, the youngsters like Dalal and Shorey himself will have take up the responsibility of scoring big runs. The absence of regular skipper Nitish Rana and Himmat Singh, who are playing the Emerging Nations Cup in Sri Lanka, make life much tougher for Delhi.

The squad has been without the services of lead pacer Navdeep Saini, who was with the India A team in New Zealand. He is expected to join the side for the Kerala tie.

At Mohali, Tamil Nadu (11 points) face an underperforming Punjab (nine points) at with a lot to play for. Tamil Nadu will be boosted by the win against Kerala and would pin hopes on pacer T Natarajan to lead from the front on what is likely to be a track which will help faster bowlers.