Azhar, Kaif to renew rivalry for middle-order berth

Azhar, Kaif to renew rivalry for middle-order berth
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

KANPUR, MARCH 29: Former India captain Mohd Azharuddin, after a successful comeback to the National side, and Mohd Kaif, batsman-in-waiting for the middle-order slot, will renew their rivalry when Uttar Pradesh meet Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final starting here tomorrow.

A keen tussle is on the cards with the hosts eager to put the record straight by avenging their defeat by Hyderabad in 1998 season.

Still smarting from the battering they received against last year's finalists Tamil Nadu in their last super-league encounter, UP Will be looking to redeem some lost pride, while Hyderabad come fresh from a 71-run victory over Baroda in their last match.

Both teams are waiting for their star batsmen - Azhar and Junior World Cup winning captain Kaif - to return from the tri-nation cricket series in Sharjah. They are expected to join their respective sides by late evening.

UP'S hopes hinge on good scores by Kaif, Saurabh Shukla- centurion in the last match - and captain Gyanendra Pandey, and also on their bowlers's ability to restrict the opposition, a feature sorely missing in the last few matches.

Kaif, who did not get a chance to prove his mettle in the one-day series against South Africa and the Sharjah tri-nation tournament, will try to be among the runs.

Pandey exuded confidence his players will not repeat the mistakes of their last match and put up a better performance. "We have a chance to improve our image and place ourselves in the semis," he said after nets

Hyderabad will depend on their bowling line-up spearheaded by skipper and former India left-arm spinner Venkatpathy Raju and comprising off-spinner Kawaljit Singh, who has taken 46 wickets in this season thus far, and all-rounder Parth Satwalkar, all of whom came good in their last match against Baroda.