Air India Blue have edge against Tata Sports Club

Star-studded Air India Blue will start favourites when they lock horns with Tata Sports Club in the second semi-final of the BCCI Corporate Cup Trophy at PCA Stadium here on Sunday.

Skipper M S Dhoni is already in red-hot form and presence of wily off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and pacer RP Singh make Air India Blue a formidable side.

The India trio would look to get more match practice ahead of triangular series in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy.

Tata Sports Club, which finished at the top of table from Group C, will be banking a lot on in-form Rohan Gavaskar and Ajit Agarkar to deliver.

Gavaskar had returned to the official fold in style with a classy 93 to guide Tata SC to an emphatic 71-run victory over All India Public Sector Sports Promotion Board (AIPSSPB) in the rain-truncated first Group C match at Dharamshala.

Gavaskar, playing his first official tournament after snapping ties with the rebel Indian Cricket League, had played some good shots in that match.

And the semi-final encounter would serve as another opportuinity for him to impress selectors, keeping in mind a berth in the Bengal Ranji team, which he has led earlier.

All-rounder Reetinder Sodhi of Air India Blue, who too had left rebel ICL to come to the BCCI's fold, is also looking to make a point in the game.

Out of favour Mohammad Kaif has not lost hope and is keen to do well.

"I am taking all tournaments in which I am playing very seriously. I am working hard on fitness as well," Kaif said.

Former Haryana player Manvinder Bisla, who cracked an unbeaten 152 against Indian Revenue in the Group A match, is looking forward to start from where he left.

Parvin Amre, coach of Air India Blue, said, "the boys are in good nick."

The final of he tournament will be held at Bangalore on September 8.

It will also be an opportunity for the fringe players Usman Malvi, Nishit Shetty and Manoj Joglekar (Tata Sports Club) and Shafiq Khan, Pankaj Singh and Sonu Sharma (Air India Blue) to attract attention of national selectors.

Air India Blue: M S Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Mohd Kaif, Dheeraj Jadhav, Vijay Dahiya, Manvinder Bisla, Rajat Bhatia, Sachin Rana, J Arun Kumar, R P Singh, Pankaj Singh, Shafiq Khan, Chandan Madan, Reetinder Sodhi and Sonu Sharma.

Tata Sports Club: Rohan Gavaskar, Ajit Agarkar, Ramesh Powar, Nishit Shetty, Manoj Joglekar, Ishank Jaggi, Wilkin Mota, Usman Malvi, Abhijit Shetye, Himanshu Waigankar, Sufian Shaikh, Gaurav Jathar, Tushar Gharat, Pranay Gharat, Sahil Kukreja and Praful Waghela.