Playing with Sehwag is always a pleasure because of our understanding of each other's games which makes things that much easier in the middle © AFP

Playing with Viru is always a pleasure not just because of his wonderful strokeplay but also because of our understanding of each other's games which makes things that much easier in the middle. With him at the other end, I could be assured of not having to play six balls in an over. We would pinch almost non-existent singles with ease. We did that today as well, while we lasted. Both Viru and I are to be blamed for our downfall today as we were the only ones who got starts. It's imperative for the people who get a good start to make it into something big, more so against a quality opposition like the Rest of India. On a personal note, I was happy to get my 150th first-class catch, when I caught Wasim Jaffer off Pradeep Sangwan at second slip.

One thing that disappointed us the most was the fact that we lost too many wickets to the quick bowlers. The track is looking too worn-out for a day-two wicket and with the ball turning and bouncing, it may have been acceptable had we lost wickets to the spin bowlers. Giving away too many cheap wickets to the quicks hurt our chances big time. We not only surrendered the advantage we enjoyed at the end of day one but now we are also up against a stiff challenge.

I have always believed the third day of a match is the most crucial and it is no different in this match. The first session will set the tone for the rest of the match and probably even decide the outcome of the match. We must pull our socks up and get ready to reclaim the initiative.

Good Night.

	'When grinding is the mantra the tail struggles to inflict substantial damage' © AFP

The day didn't quite start the way we would've liked it to. We lost the toss on a typical win-the-toss-and-bat-first wicket. Though the conditions favour playing two spinners, the lack of a quality spinner among our ranks meant that we went in with our four best bowlers: three seam bowlers and Chetanya Nanda, the lone spinner.

On the other side, the ROI team opted to play five bowlers, which meant playing only five batsmen. But with MS Dhoni as the wicket-keeper, one could afford to play with one less batsman. I've played quite a few games for the ROI, and one thing has always been in common: playing five bowlers. Considering the quality of batting at their disposal, five batsmen are normally more than enough.

ROI started the day strongly, and looked in command. The ball wasn't doing anything in the air, nor off the surface. We were forced to play the waiting game, and maintaining a disciplined line and length, hoping that the batsman would commit a mistake. Even though the ball wasn't doing anything alarming off the surface, it wasn't easy to hit the ball square: the ball wasn't coming on to the bat too well, and the bounce was on the lower side. The track looked very dry on top, but perhaps there's a lot of moisture underneath and hence the ball is coming on slowly after pitching.

Once the ROI started losing wickets, we managed to tighten the noose with some inspired bowling from Ishant Sharma, Pradeep Sangwan and Nanda. All of them bowled with a lot of discipline, and maintained a tight leash. One disadvantage of playing five bowlers is that if a couple of your top-order batsmen fail and the ones who get the starts don't score big, the longish tail gets exposed a little too soon. That's exactly what happened with the ROI today, and once we saw the backs of Dhoni and Mohammad Kaif, we knew we were in with a good chance. The tail might wag for a while on surfaces like this, but when grinding is the mantra they struggle to inflict substantial damage.

Looking back at the way the day panned out, we are very satisfied with our efforts. At one stage, we were having nightmares of spending a day and half in the field waiting for the ROI to declare, but little did we know that we would be batting on the first day itself. Now the onus is on us to capitalise on our excellent bowling performance, and pile on a big score to bat the ROI out of this game.

We know that this won't be easy by any stretch of the imagination as they have a very competent attack at their disposal. The track has assisted the spinners today, which means that it will only get tougher to bat on as we come out to chase in the last innings against Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. We must seize the initiative on the second day because they have enough quality bowling and batting in their ranks to get back into the match.

But right now, it's advantage Delhi. :)

	Ranji done, Irani to go: for the Delhi players, the Irani spotlight is a just reward for the Ranji triumph © Cricinfo Ltd

Hello everyone

The Irani Trophy game between the Ranji champions and the Rest of India is a curtain raiser to the new domestic season. It has always been a high-profile game, pitting the national champions against the very best of the country. I've played in the Irani Trophy a few times in the past, but it's always been for the Rest of India. This time I'll be playing for my state team, so this is a first for me. Talking about firsts, incidentally this is also the first time I've come to Baroda. Considering I've been around on the domestic circuit for a decade, it seems bizarre even to me.

We managed a decent net session yesterday as the tracks had dried up and the ball was coming on to the bat nicely. Even though it was doing loads for the quicker bowlers, it was much better than what we batted on yesterday. There was decent grass covering on the practice wickets, a stark contrast to the track in the middle that is totally barren and looks a little too dry for a five-day match. The track on this particular IPCL ground has the reputation of helping the quicker men for a couple of reasons: the red soil that offers more bounce carrying the edges to the slips comfortably, and the open surroundings with greenery all around. The wind blows nicely and assists the seam bowlers.

The weather hasn’t been kind on the curator for the last 10 days, and it must've been really tough to prepare a decent track when it has been under covers most of the time. One might think that with all the rain around, if anything, there should be more moisture on the track, but that's seldom the case. A good curator would avoid watering it too much, taking the rains into account and leaving some room for any unexpected shower. Ergo, this track, which I am told usually has a decent grass covering and moisture, is a little dry to start with.

We're playing against a virtual India side, except for the Delhi players and Sachin Tendulkar. Instead of focusing on the players we're up against, we're focusing on our strengths, and let me assure you we have many. We're at our full strength, which hasn't happened for quite some time. One look at the talent available in our dressing room exudes confidence in the whole squad. Please don't get me wrong. I'm not taking anything away from our opposition, but I can't say anything about them that hasn't already been said or written a zillion times over.

No one would give a state team a chance to beat such a strong unit, but that only means that we have everything to gain and very little to lose from this game. Although the odds are stacked against us, we are all geared up to give the ROI a run for their money. Gautam Gambhir said something that would give you an insight into the mindset we will take in when we go in to play. He said, “We must believe that this ROI side is beatable and regardless of the situation of the match we're in, we mustn't lose that belief.”

For us this game is the reward for having won the Ranji Trophy last season, as this would offer a great opportunity and platform for everyone to showcase his talent. A few might have got this opportunity in any case - some would've been picked for the ROI - but for the rest, it's their only shot to grab the limelight.

If we play to our potential and don't allow the importance of the occasion to distract us from the job at hand, a great contest is in the offing.

Rest of India, here we come.

Please wish us luck … it's great to support the underdogs.

Cheers

	Virender Sehwag at the nets in Vadodara © PA Photos

Hi guys

We reached Baroda the day before yesterday for our Irani Trophy game against Rest of India. There was a nice air-conditioned bus waiting for us at the airport. You must be wondering as to what the big deal is about the AC bus, but let me assure you that there most certainly is. In case you're inquisitive, please keep watching this space throughout the season, and you'll come to know.

After reaching the hotel a little after 8pm we spent a few hours browsing various rooms before settling down. Some of the rooms were really small while the rest had double beds. Except for the captain everyone shares his room with another player, which is fine, but sharing the same bed doesn't sound too exciting.

The idea for coming well in advance, though, is good for a couple of reasons. Firstly the heavy rains in Delhi had put paid to any hopes of practising before the biggest game of the season. Secondly coming to the venue a couple of days in advance would help us get used to the conditions, especially the red soil found in the west. The ball tends to bounce a lot more on red soil as compared to the black soil found in the north. Once the bounce varies considerably, the way one approaches the game changes accordingly: which balls to leave - sometimes you can trust the bounce and just allow it to go through to the keeper, which balls to go forward to or back to. The bowlers can work out the length they need to bowl. All of these change with the pitch.

But luck deserted us here too as it has been raining heavily in this part of the country as well. We did get a hit in the nets, but the track was wet and so was the ground. But then something is better than nothing.

Another thing that I noticed today was the enthusiasm of the people in a small town. We'd gone to a nearby gym in the evening and the word got out. There were more than a few people queuing outside the gym to catch a glimpse of their favourite cricketers. This would never happen in a big city, but then Baroda isn't a big city.

Cheers