Weather biggest rival as Delhi face Punjab in a must-win tie

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Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : Dec 21 2013 | 5:11 PM IST
More than Yuvraj Singh battling it out with the likes of Virender Sehwag, rival sides Delhi and Punjab are concerned about the foggy conditions which may be the biggest impediment to an outright win in the 7th group league Ranji Trophy game at the Roshanara tomorrow.
The poor visibility during the last week of December has always been a problem in Northern India and BCCI's shoddy scheduling of matches added insult to the injury.
Delhi with 19 points from six games and Punjab with 17 from an equal number of outings are currently placed fourth and fifth respectively in group A. Only an outright win in this game would brighten their chances to make it to the quarter-finals and the weather is likely to play spoilsport.
"We had requested the BCCI to schedule our matches in such a manner that the final few games during the last week of December are away matches. We wanted to play at home during the earlier phase," a worried chairman of selectors Chetan Chauhan told reporters on the eve of the match today.
Even Punjab coach Bhupinder Singh (Sr) feels that if 70 overs are possible each day, it will be a good thing.
"We have told the match referee and umpires that we are prepared for 70 over per day game. The track is a result oriented one and I hope that my boys have saved their best for the last," Bhupi Sr, as he is affectionately called, told mediapersons.
If weather and seaming strip are on the mind, the "poor facilities" at the Roshanara ground has irked the Punjab team management.
While the home team Delhi has been provided with the big hall for dressing room purpose with proper security arrangements, Punjab team will have to make do with makeshift arrangements which doesn't even proper privacy for the players.
"We have also been told that once the day's proceedings gets over, the players will have to carry their kitbags and keep them in a separate room as the makeshift dressing room will be used by the club members in the evening. We told DDCA as to why they arranged it here when you had Kotla," an angry senior member of the Punjab team management questioned.
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First Published: Dec 21 2013 | 5:11 PM IST

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