Punjab confident, but wary of Saurashtra

Having beaten Saurashtra in the league stage, Punjab are aiming for an encore when the two sides square off in the Ranji Trophy semi-finals from Wednesday, at the SCA stadium, in Khandheri, Rajkot.

Punjab captain Harbhajan Singh is hoping his team continues playing good cricket.

"We have done well and, therefore, we are in the semi-finals of the Ranji trophy, and I am hoping that the team will once again play good cricket against Saurashtra," Harbhajan said.

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Despite Punjab defeating Saurashtra in the league match, he insisted he would not take the hosts lightly.

"We had done well in the previous match, but Saurashtra too is a good side having reached the semi-finals," he added.

Punjab's batting will revolve around Jivan Jyot Singh, Mandeep Singh and Taruvar Kohli while Harbhajan Singh, Sandip Sharma, Manpreet Singh and Bipul Sharma will spearhead the bowling.

While Saurashtra have the advantage of playing at home, they will miss the Services of Ravindra Jadeja and Cheteshwar Pujara, as the two are on national duty in the ODIs against England. But players like Arpit Vasavada, Sheldon Jackson and Kamlesh Makwana are in good form.

Vasavada and Jackson, along with Sagar Jogiyani and seasoned Sithanshu Kotak, will shoulder the batting responsibilities, while pacers Siddharth Trivedi and Jaydev Unadkat are the main bowlers.

Squads:

Saurashtra: Jaydev Shah (Capt), Sagar Jogiyani, Sitanshu Kotak, Sheldon Jackson, Arpit Vasavada, Rahul Dave, Kamlesh Makwana, Jaydev Unadkat, Siddharth Trivedi, Saurya Sanandiya, Dharmendra Jadeja, Sandip Maniar, Vishal Joshi, Chirag Pathak and Harsh Anghan.

Punjab: Harbhajan Singh (Capt), Mandeep Singh, Jivan jyot Singh, Ravi Inder Singh, Taruvar Kohli, Imitozz Singh, Gurkeet Mann, Uday Kaul, Siddharth Kaul, Sandip Sharma, Manpreet Singh, Sarabjeet Singh, RajVinder Singh, Karan Goel and Bipul Sharma.