Weather will be the key to Duleep Trophy final's success
Suresh Raina
Players and officials have their fingers crossed on the eve of the Duleep Trophy final between India Red and India Blue at the new Ekana International stadium here with the threat of rain still persisting to disrupt the tournament.
Two matches in Kanpur were badly hit and the fate of the five-day title clash today rests solely on the weather. India Blue are lucky to advance to the final after both their games in Kanpur were affected by rain. In the first match, they managed to take the lead over India Red and that helped them when their next game against India Green was washed out. Both teams were unfinished with their first innings.
That was enough for the Suresh Raina-led team to get take the fight to the final. With top India players involved in the ODI series against Australia, a second string India A busy with New Zealand A and a couple of India players like R Ashwin and Cheteshwar Pujara playing in English county cricket, it is the residue that will be pitted in the Duleep Trophy final.
There are a few players like Dinesh Karthik, Raina and Ishant Sharma who would be eager to prove their form and fitness. Like the players, it will also be a stern test for the new stadium which hosted a Ranji Trophy game last season and the opening match of the current Duleep Trophy.
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