Ranji Trophy, Super League, 2008-09

[Chandan]

ROUND III, DAY 1 Karnataka v Andhra, Ranji Trophy Super League, Mysore, 1st day Honours even despite Uthappa ton The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran in Mysore November 16, 2008 Karnataka 277 for 7 (Uthappa 133) v Andhra Scorecard There was disappointment for a near-packed house in Mysore as Rahul Dravid fell for 39 © AFP Rahul Dravid walked in to the roars of a nearly packed stadium - and his untimely exit left the crowds stunned - but it was Robin Uthappa, the Karnataka captain, who took the applause with his second century of the season at the Gangothri Glades Cricket Ground in Mysore. Uthappa ensured the first two sessions went his team's way, but a late fightback from the Andhra bowlers helped them claim a share of the opening day honours. Uthappa chose to bat and though he and KB Pawan were confronted with a pitch that had a tinge of green, they had little trouble negotiating the new ball. Pawan set the early pace before Uthappa got into his groove. Uthappa was beaten several times early on. There were a few outside edges, and a reprieve when on 24 - Hemal Watekar grassing a chance at cover - but he kept going for his shots. After the first hour, he was walking down the track even to the quick bowlers, a sign of his growing confidence. A couple of paddle-sweeps off the legspinner M Suresh sent a further warning to the bowlers; after the first one was just cut off by the fine-leg fielder, Uthappa placed the next one a little more finer to get a boundary. There were some impeccably timed off-drives against the medium-pacers while his intelligent use of the horizontal bat shots blunted Suresh's bowling. He put Karnataka right on top; at lunch they were at 105 for 0. A couple of quick wickets brought together the marquee names of Karnataka's batting, and the pair set about reinstating the hosts' advantage. Dravid was circumspect to start with, content to leave alone as many deliveries as he could. He accepted an overpitched gift on leg stump from P Vijaykumar to get going and employed the whip to square leg and the cut shot to keep the score ticking. It was Uthappa, though, who did the bulk of the scoring. More eye-catching off-drives flowed but it was a gentle push down the ground for three that was the stand-out stroke as Karnataka moved to 170 for 2. The crowd started to chant "Uthappa, Uthappa, sixer bekappa" (Uthappa, Uthappa, we want sixer), and he duly obliged, slamming part-timer Watekar over the midwicket boundary. The next ball was also hammered in the same direction, but landed just within the boundary. Andhra's troubles were characterised by a piece of fielding soon after: a thick outside edge from Uthappa flew towards third man, the fielder belatedly decided to charge in to attempt a catch, he didn't make it in time and it bounced past him for a four. With tea around the around the corner, Karnataka were at 197 for 2, and their best batsmen had got their eye in. That's when things started to unravel. Uthappa fell trying a cute dab which was taken by Watekar at slip, C Raghu was run out by a direct hit from AG Pradeep at cover soon after tea, and Manish Pandey chipped a catch to LNP Reddy at mid-off. The score was now 216 for 5, and the Andhra team perked up, jogging quickly to their fielding positions at the end of every over. Much depended on Dravid, who was not flustered either by the Andhra bowling or the fall of wickets. However, only seven runs had been added after Pandey's dismissal, when Dravid inexplicably shouldered arms to a delivery from D Kalyankrishna which crashed into his off stump. It was Andhra who were now in control, though some hitting from Vinay Kumar (27*) and Sunil Joshi (18*) pushed the hosts to 277. Tamil Nadu vs Uttar Pradesh, Ranji Trophy Super League, Ghaziabad, 1st day Bowlers put Tamil Nadu on top Tamil Nadu 78 for 2 (Badrinath 41*, B Kumar 2-20) trail Uttar Pradesh 150 (Balaji 4-38, Amarnath 4-53) by 72 runs Scorecard There were four wickets apiece for L Balaji and P Amarnath - and five catches behind the stumps for wicketkeeper-captain Dinesh Karthik - as Tamil Nadu bundled out last year's finalists, Uttar Pradesh, for 150 after fielding first in Ghaziabad. The visitors ended the day at 78 for 2, and will fancy their chances of taking a considerable lead. Uttar Pradesh's openers played out the early overs, but Tanmay Srivastava was caught by Karthik off C Ganapathy for 29. No. 3 Prashant Gupta was only the second of three batsmen in the innings to pass 20. He was bowled by Balaji - UP were 70 for 3 - and Amarnath struck in successive overs to leave them at 85 for 5. Piyush Chawla provided some resistance with his 28 not out. He added 26 with wicketkeeper Amir Khan and 30 for the eighth wicket with Imtiyaz Ahmed. Karthik pouched his fifth when Ahmed was caught behind off Balaji, who trapped the last two batsmen leg-before in the same over - the 57th of the innings. TN did not get off to the best of starts - Abhinav Mukund was dismissed first-ball -and Bhuvneshwar Kumar made it 41 for 2 when he removed Arun Karthik, Mukund's opening partner. S Badrinath scored an unbeaten 41, with captain Karthik was on 19 not out, to take their team to safety. Another POV TN send Kaif-less, careless UP packing Sharad Deep Ghaziabad THE NEHRU Stadium pitch wasn't as green and fast as one had expected, but the Tamil Nadu seamers exploited whatever life it had to dismiss former champions Uttar Pradesh for 150 on the first day of their Group 'B' Super League match here on Sunday. The hosts also contributed to their woes with careless batting, allowing visitors to seize initiative in the crucial match. Right-arm seamer Palani Amarnath bagged four wickets while Lakshmipathy Balaji, despite missing the target in the first session, bounced back to take four including three in the last over. Tamil Nadu skipper Dinesh Karthik had put UP into bat on a wicket that had uneven bounce. His decision was vindicated though after a while. Openers Tanmay Srivastava and Shivakant Shukla had started well with Tanmay hitting a four off Balaji in the very first over However, in the 12th over, C Ganpathy made a delivery rise awkwardly Tanmay (29, 6x4) could only edge it to stumper Karthik. The TN captain, kept busy throughout the day grabbed five scalps. A depleted UP batting, without Mohd Kaif, who is down with fever, and an unfit Praveen Kumar,thereafter crashed like a pack of cards. Spirited effort In the post-lunch session, Amarnath and Ganapathy put up a spirited effort and the home batsmen made their task easier by their lack of patience and application. Chawla, who played a responsible knock, remained unbeaten on 28, which included four boundaries. Debutants Prashant Gupta (22, 2x4) and Imtiyaz Ahmed (17, 2x4) and skipper Piyush Chawla (28, 4x4, n.o) offered some resistance but the rest faltered. In reply, UP bowlers also struck early, removing Abhinav Munkund (0) and Arun Karthik (18, 2x4), but were denied further success by S Badrinath (41, 6x4) and skipper Dinesh Karthik (19, 3x4), who took the total to 78 for 2 before bad light brought an early end to the day's play. Mumbai vs Delhi, Ranji Trophy Super League, Kotla, Delhi, 1st Day Mumbai 279 for 2 (Rahane 151*, Muzumdar 78*) v Delhi Scorecard Delhi's defence of the Ranji Trophy had not got off to the best of starts, and there was not much for them to cheer on the first day of their third-round game at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Group A leaders Mumbai showed no signs of slipping up, with an unbroken 207-run stand between Ajinkya Rahane and Amol Muzumdar putting them in control. Mumbai made a slow start after choosing to bat, and lost Sahil Kukreja in the 15th over. Captain Wasim Jaffer then added 49 for the second wicket with Rahane. Jaffer fell for 29, and at 72 for 2 the match was evenly poised. However, Rahane scored his second century in the tournament, and Muzumdar his second half-century, to help Mumbai wrest the initiative. Rahane finished the day at 151, and needs 22 more to get his career-best first-class score; Muzumdar needs the same number of runs for his 24th first-class ton. Delhi were without left-armer Ashish Nehra, who strained a hamstring during their previous game. Another POV Mumbai at home in Delhi Arjun Sen New Delhi ONE IS the future of Mumbai cricket, the new kid on the block whose talent and poise has had everyone talking about him, while the other is a battle-hardened veteran who has been around for quite sometime now. Ajinkya Rahane was all of 6 when Amol Muzumdar made his Ranji Trophy debut for Mumbai. And it was this duo that helped their side end Day One of the Ranji Trophy match against Delhi firmly on top. At stumps, the tourists were 279/2, with Rahane on an unbeaten 151 and Muzumdar on 78. The two put on 207. Ask anyone who knows a thing or two about Mumbai cricket, and Rahane is a name that'll feature right on top of the players to watch out for And, judging by this flawless innings he scored at the Kotla on Sunday, it is hard to see why The 20-yearold displayed great maturity and nerve to take his team out of what could have been a tricky situation at 72/2. Delhi's bowling this season has been rather ordinary and it was the same sorry tale on Sunday too. With Ashish Nehra unfit to start, losing the toss on a flat Kotla wicket was not the ideal start to the game for skipper Aakash Chopra. Though the new ball pairing of Pradeep Sangwan and Sumit Narwal did not give away too many runs, it did not test the Mumbai openers tested often enough. Sahil Kukreja and Wasim Jaffer started very cautiously, and had put on 23 on the board in 15 overs when Parwinder Awana had Kukreja (10) caught behind. Jaffer, now joined by Rahane, played a few breathtaking on-drives and a ferocious pull, before edging Narwal to Chopra to second slip for 29. Jaffer's fall in the 27th over brought together Rahane and Muzumdar. The two negotiated the Delhi attack with embarrassing ease. Never were they hurried into a shot, were always in complete control and hardly ever played a false shot. Both innings, though similar in outcome, were contrasting in execution. Rahane was the attacking of the two, finding the boundaries with regularity and precision. Seldom did he let a loose delivery unpunished, often putting the good ones away too. His 245-ball knock was embellished with as many as 22 hits to the fence. Muzumdar, on the other hand, was a little more circumspect in his approach. The former skipper played the role of second fiddle to perfection. Chopra tried everything to break the stand, but his bowlers once again fell short. With the flow of runs not stopping, Chopra employed a seven-two field for large periods in the day but his bowlers failed to exercise the kind of control he would have expected, drifting on to the pads far too often. Day One was all Mumbai, and with both in-form batsmen still out there, it could be Monday morning blues for Delhi. Gujarat vs Hyderabad, Ranji Trophy Super League, Motera, Ahmedabad, 1st Day Gujarat 235 for 1 (Modi 118*, Niraj 60*) v Hyderabad Scorecard Gujarat, who were trounced by Mumbai in the second round, began confidently in Ahmedabad, scoring 235 for 1 in 90 overs on the first day. Choosing to bat at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Gujarat made a sluggish but steady start, with their openers putting on 108 in 43.4 overs. Priyank Kirit Panchal was the first to go, dismissed by medium pacer Syed Quadri for 48 - he played 145 deliveries. Nilesh Modi and Niraj Patel ensured Gujarat didn't lose a wicket for the rest of the day. Modi made an unbeaten 118, with nine fours, and Niraj was gave him company till stumps, not out on 60. Another POV Nilesh cracks unbeaten century Principal Correspondent AHMEDABAD: Seasoned campaigner Nilesh Modi cracked an unbeaten century to help Gujarat seize the initiative by electing to bat on the first day as the host scored 235 for one against Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy super league match at the Sardar Patel Stadium (Motera) here on Sunday. With openers Priyank Panchal (48, 3x4) and Nilesh Modi (118 batting, 240b, 9x 4) putting on 108 for the first wicket, the Hyderabad bowlers were on the defensive on a pitch which offered little assistance. Shoddy keeping Compounding the misery was the shoddy work behind the stumps by Abhinav Kumar. Medium-pacer M. P. Arjun, bowled his heart out in the post-lunch to test the openers and even had the misfortune of first seeing Panchal awkwardly fend off a lifting delivery just short of Arjun Yadav at slip. In his next over he clean bowled the same batsman off a no-ball. Even his new-ball partner S.M. Shoaib and first-change bowler Ashwin Yadav looked good during this session but were not given the support in catching behind the stumps. Breakthrough It was left to part-time off-spinner Ahmed Quadri to provide the breakthrough when D.B. Ravi Teja brought off a splendid catch at slip to send back Panchal in a typical off-spinner’s dismissal. That turned out to be the only moment of celebration for Hyderabad. Ashwin also was unlucky as Abhinav Kumar failed to react in time to snatch a fast inside edge off Modi (then on 74). A miss that has proved costly as the opener came up with the right blend of caution and aggression. His flowing drives on the off-side and the sweep shot played to near perfection were the highlights of his innings. In the company of southpaw Niraj Patel (60 batting, 157b, 4x4), Modi put on an unbroken 127-run stand for the second wicket which pushed Hyderabad completely on the defensive in the final session. Orissa vs Rajasthan, Ranji Trophy Super League, Sambalpur, 1st Day Orissa 235 for 6 (SS Das 74, Pati 72, Halhadar 43*) v Rajasthan Scorecard Orissa scored the same number of runs as Gujarat, but lost five more wickets on the first day against Rajasthan at the Veer Surendra Sai Stadium in Sambalpur. Orissa's openers, captain Shiv Sunder Das and Bikas Pati, added 125 in 32.3 overs, but they failed to build on the start. Pati was out leg-before to Rajasthan captain Venugopal Rao, who bowled Paresh Patel in the same over. Sumit Mathur dismissed Subit Biswal for 3 to Orissa at 130 for 3. Das and Niranjan Behera led a brief recovery, adding 33 in 11 overs, before Mathur got Das out for 74. Behera and Halhadar Das ensured there was no collapse with a 64-run stand, but a double-strike from legspinner Vivek Yadav in the 81st over brought Rajasthan back into the contest. Halhadar was unbeaten on 45 at stumps. Baroda vs Railways, Ranji Trophy Super League, Karnail Singh Stadium, Delhi, 1st Day Baroda 1 for 0 trail Railways 224 (Sharma 79, Rawat 67, Pathan 4-42, Veragi 3-51) by 223 runs Scorecard Irfan Pathan took 4 for 42 and his new-ball partner Salim Veragi finished with 3 for 51 as Railways were restricted to 224 in their first innings at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi. Railways chose to bat, but were rocked early on. They capitulated to 45 for 5: Veragi removed the openers within the first ten overs, and dismissed Sanjib Sanyal for 1, while Pathan had two lbws scalps. A 146-run stand between Karan Sharma and wicketkeeper Mahesh Rawat restored respectability to Railway's score. Sharma's 79 was his fourth score over 50 in nine first-class games, and Rawat made 67. A third lbw from Pathan took care of Rawat, and he got his fourth wicket - this time a caught behind - to get rid of Raja Ali. Harvinder Singh was run out, and left-arm spinner Rajesh Pawar took the remaining two wickets in a Railways innings that lasted 81.5 overs. Baroda's openers then saw off the solitary over before close. Another POV Baroda pacemen halt Railways Heena Zuni Pandit New Delhi PREDICTED by Railways coach Abhay Sharma, the first session proved crucial in deciding the proceedings of the day Railways lost five wickets for just 45 runs in the opening session, recovering just enough to post 224 against Baroda in the Super League 'Group B' here on Sunday. In reply, Baroda were one for no loss before bad light stopped the game. Railways' batting line-up crumbled like a house of cards before Mahesh Rawat and Karan Sharma stitched together a 146run partnership for the sixth wicket. Prior to that partnership, Sanjay Bangar (5), Amit Pagnis (19), Harshad Rawle (01) and S Sanyal (1) found the Baroda paceman Salim Vairagi and Irfan Pathan to hot to handle. Yere Goud, the centurion against Karnataka, too couldn't bring any stability to the innings as he fell lbw to Irfan Pathan for just one run. Railways were by now in deep trouble, but then came the valuable partnership that helped Railways chug past 200 mark. The duo showed good application and determination to withstand the charged-up Baroda bowlers, gradually bringing the team back on track. But before that partnership could bail Railways out of trouble, Pathan, in his second spell, sent back Rawat for 67. Sharma, too, fell soon after for 79 off Rajesh Pawar. And the following batsmen just couldn't add much to the total. Earlier, Saleem Veragi jolted Railways, giving the initial break through to Baroda. Bowling in his third First Class match, the 22-years-old right arm medium pacer gave good support to Pathan, who retuned with a rich haul of 4 for 42 from in 22 overs. Irfan stars It was Baroda’s star pacer Irfan Pathan, whose 4/42 proved to be the best figures of the day, broke the partnership with a perfect incoming delivery that caught Rawat plumb in front. Left-arm spinner Rajesh Pawar accounted for Sharma, who was caught behind by Pinal Shah. This followed a collapse and the Railways were all out for 224. Railway skipper Bangar termed it a fighting total. Besides, Pathan the other bowler to make an impact on Sunday was pacer Salim Veragi. Pathan gave due credit to Veragi for his effort. “He bowled a superb spell in the morning that backed my confidence,†he said. At the end of Day One Baroda had just opened their account as bad light forced curtains. Punjab vs Saurashtra, Ranji Trophy Super League, Rajkot, 1st Day Punjab 291 for 5 (Ravi Inder 114, Sohal 103, Jadeja 3-49) v Saurashtra Scorecard A late fightback from Saurashtra kept Punjab to 291 for 5 after Ravi Inder Singh and Sunny Sohal scored centuries in Rajkot. Punjab, who chose to bat, lost Ravneet Ricky with 51 on the board, but the other top-order batsmen didn't miss out. Sunny Sohal made his third ton in as many games, and Ravi Inder got his second first-class hundred to put their team at a commanding 216 for 1. The previous two games in Rajkot had seen teams batting first pile up totals in excess of 550. Punjab looked set to become the third, but Ravindra Jadeja struck thrice with his left-arm spin in his 15 overs. He removed both the centurions and Pankaj Dharmani, who made 25. Offspinner Kamlesh Makvana added a second wicket, to that of Ricky's, when he had Uday Kaul caught behind in the 90th over of the day. Another POV Sohal and Raviinder punish Saurashtra Special Correspondent Rajkot: Dapper Sunny Sohal (103, 161b, 15 x 4s) once again showed he has the skill far more than the ordinary, and Raviinder Singh (114, 209b, 22 x 4s), unceasing persistence, power and ability against Saurashtra on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy Super League match at the Race Course Ground here on Sunday. Contrast between the two was not only evident in Sohal being a right-hander and Raviinder Singh, a left-hander; the right-hander was fearless and took the attack to the rival camp after watching the opening pair put on 51 from the boundary line to get used to the light and Raviinder measured up to the task after Pankaj Dharmani elected to bat. Punjab would be somewhat disappointed that the centurymakers did not expand their score after reaching the century mark, that Dharmani gifted his wicket and Uday Kaul was dismissed in the ninth ball of the second new ball, but could draw comfort from a total of 291 for five it mustered on the first day at Rajkot. Dream run Raised in Mohali, it has been a dream run for the 21-year-old Sohal who arrived here with 110 against Delhi and 106 against Rajasthan. He rattled the scoreboard in a matter of time after off-spinner Kamlesh Makwana sent back Ravneet Rickey in a most emphatic manner. Forward and back play was possible to be executed with ease on a surface that did not show bias to the seamers and spinners. Both Sohal and Raviinder hit the ball hard and with safety. Saurashtra suffered from want of quality seamers. Mere slanted deliveries from left-arm seamer Sandip Jobanputra and Jayesh Odedra, who does not have the ability to operate with the new ball, were driven off the front and back foot, cut and glanced and Punjab raced to 124 for one in the first two and half hour session after being at 39 from 17 overs at the first drinks break. Immediate impact Sohal made impact straightaway excelling in the lift-drive of Makwana, was on top of the ball to back cut several times and progressed to his half century of 62 balls with a copybook cover drive. He spent almost an hour from 81 onwards before forcing Jadeja to forward of point to complete his third century in as many matches. Jadeja, who impressed in his three for 49, effort, eventually saw Sohal direct the ball from the toe of the bat to Dhruv at slip. .

[Tapioca]

Don't know. If you are looking for the score of a specific match, local newspapers may be an option. For eg, Kerala was 214/6 overnight, and manorama.com has updated their site (which is in Malayalam) at 2 o'clock to add that they were all out for 334.

[Chandan]

are ranji scores updated live' date=' or atleast by session anywhere? cricinfo only reports at the end of each day. :(([/quote'] I had asked cricinfo about why they stopped updating the scores of Ranji matches on hourly basis. The reply was that they were warned by BCCI to stop covering something for which they have not bought any rights. I think only the BCCI site can update the score session by session. But are they doing so? I doubt it!

[h4te]

I had asked cricinfo about why they stopped updating the scores of Ranji matches on hourly basis. The reply was that they were warned by BCCI to stop covering something for which they have not bought any rights. I think only the BCCI site can update the score session by session. But are they doing so? I doubt it!

what ******S! this is ridiculous!!!! aren't they making enough money already? what's the loss if cricinfo reports when no one else is doing it anyway? BCCI site doesn't even mention ranjis......

[Guest HariSampath]

Badrinath and Dinesh Karthik get centuries today on day 2 against UP Shikar Dhawan, Akash Chopra and Jaffer, all fail in the Delhi Mumbai clash. Dravid has already failed in the Karnataka Ranji game. Looks like only Badri among top test spot contenders is getting runs.

[Guest HariSampath]

Cricinfo has updated now.... Badri has got a 100 :yay:

[Tapioca]

>> I had asked cricinfo about why they stopped updating the scores of Ranji matches on hourly basis. The reply was that they were warned by BCCI to stop covering something for which they have not bought any rights. That is interesting. Thought that it is "news" that anyone can report.

[h4te]

>> I had asked cricinfo about why they stopped updating the scores of Ranji matches on hourly basis. The reply was that they were warned by BCCI to stop covering something for which they have not bought any rights. That is interesting. Thought that it is "news" that anyone can report.

it's BCCI....LULZ :((

[h4te]

good for badri. hopefully gets back in form. he's been sucky in the recent matches/opportunities he's got.

[Guest HariSampath]

Yes, thats true, I dont think BCCI can "warn" anyone not to cover any game. Besides Cricinfo doesnt need any rights , for providing scores feed, all sites and news agencies can do so. Cricinfo is covering domestic games all over the world, live...so what is the question of rights here. Also, Cricinfo certainly doesnt have any "rights" to cover ODIs and tests, but do it all the time, they dont pay BCCI a cent, they just cover it as "media". I think its more a case of cricinfo not being interested enough or not having staff to cover all these domestic games, reliably, in remote places for 4 days.

[Chandan]

>> I had asked cricinfo about why they stopped updating the scores of Ranji matches on hourly basis. The reply was that they were warned by BCCI to stop covering something for which they have not bought any rights. That is interesting. Thought that it is "news" that anyone can report.

This was the response from cricinfo: We apologise for not carrying these scores but we have been refused permission by the BCCI from carrying live updates. we will have end-of-day scorecards as soon after the close as possible. Please keep track of the below given link for the end-of-day scorecard details: http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2008-09/IND_LOCAL/

[Tapioca]

Ok. Maybe BCCI doesn't allow them, or refuse to provide, facilities at the grounds to do live scoring. Don't know if it is such a big thing. All you need is a laptop and a mobile phone

[h4te]

still, i don't see what BCCI gets or doesn't get from cricinfo having live scores when no one else does. if BCCI alreaddy gave the rights to someone else, then I can see why. but, no one else is covering it. so, what's the big deal?

[beetle]

BCCI is Kanjoos makhi choos!

[Mr. Wicket]

Arseholes.

[ludhianvi]

are the ranji games being shown anywhere. I recall there was some talk of them being shown on tv, is it neo sports?

[h4te]

are the ranji games being shown anywhere. I recall there was some talk of them being shown on tv' date=' is it neo sports?[/quote'] i don't think so. or else, cricketnirvana would telecast them.... the Challenger series was telecast. idk, maybe they telecast special matches? i went online to see, there is no link for the matches :((

[Guest HariSampath]

BCCI is Kanjoos makhi choos!

beetle !!!!!!!!! I am utterly shocked beyond words that you actually go the " maa ki " way :--D

[Chandan]

ROUND III, DAY 2 Karnataka v Andhra, Ranji Trophy Super League, Mysore, 2ndday Joshi stars with bat and ball for Karnataka The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran in Mysore November 17, 2008 Andhra 161 for 7 (Manoj Sai 70, Joshi 4-23) trail Karnataka 366 (Uthappa 133, Joshi 65, Kalyankrishna 4-85) by 205 runs Scorecard Sunil Joshi scored 65 and took four wickets While a raucous crowd had watched the two teams share the spoils on the first day, a far quieter one witnessed hosts Karnataka dominate on day two. Sunil Joshi's all-round show had Andhra in so much trouble that despite a counterattacking 104-run seventh-wicket stand between Manoj Sai and M Suresh, the visitors faced the prospect of a follow-on. After having sliced through the Karnataka middle order late on the first day, Andhra continued in the same vein on the second morning, removing Vinay Kumar in the second over. There on, it was almost entirely Karnataka's day. When NC Aiyappa (first-class average 6.95) was dropped in the slips on 2 soon after, it didn't seem a costly miss. But he went on to a career-best score of 34, and his breezy 74-run stand with Joshi frustrated Andhra. The bowlers made things easy for the pair by repeatedly straying on the leg side, even with a 7-2 offside field. The legspinner Suresh was paddle-swept out of the attack, and Joshi launched a couple of lofted drives to the right of mid-off against the quick bowlers. It was nearly lunch before Karnataka were bowled out for 366; Joshi was the last man out for a well-made 65, his first first-class fifty in four years. Hemal Watekar started Andhra's reply with a confident punch down the ground for four, but the visitors were in trouble early in the second session, Aiyappa getting the in-form Watekar to nibble one to the keeper. That started a procession of wickets: captain Gnaneshwara Rao fell lbw to Aiyappa while trying to play across the line, LNP Reddy was trapped on the back foot by a straight one from Joshi, ASK Varma top-edged a half-tracker from Joshi to square leg, and Andhra slid to 42 for 4. Karnataka were in complete control; none of Andhra's top six were comfortable at the crease, but No. 4 B Sumanth's 35-minute stay was particularly harrowing. Soon after walking in, he was nearly run out going for a non-existing single, two balls later an attempted upper-cut flew just wide of backward point for four (his only scoring stroke), a huge appeal for caught behind off Aiyappa was then turned down, and an awkwardly fended bouncer from Vinay landed inches short of point before he was finally lbw, playing down the wrong line to Joshi. AG Pradeep also fell lbw to Joshi in the first over after tea, and Andhra were six down, still more than 150 runs shy of avoiding the follow-on. That brought in Suresh, whose partnership with Sai stalled the Karnataka juggernaut in the final session. Suresh showed his ability to occupy the crease with a battling 46 against UP, and was happy to play second fiddle to Sai, depending on the cut to collect his runs. Sai was more expansive, repeatedly hitting the spinners to the midwicket boundary and taking on the fast bowlers as well, with some pleasing drives and flicks. Vinay and Aiyappa, so accurate with the new ball, started to struggle with their lines, perhaps because of the left-right combination (the top seven in the Andhra line-up were all right-hand batsmen), and the batsmen helped themselves to some easy boundaries. They also hustled the Karnataka fielders with their sharp running between the wickets, even managing several threes on a smallish ground, to keep the runs flowing at a fast clip. Uthappa rotated his bowlers around but to no avail, until Joshi rounded off a day to remember with a wicket off the last ball of the day, inducing an edge from Sai to the keeper. Joshi had taken five expensive wickets so far this season and Karnataka were nearly at the bottom of the table with two points from two games. His performance today helped both him and his side shake off their lethargic starts in Ranji Trophy. Tamil Nadu vs Uttar Pradesh, Ranji Trophy Super League, Ghaziabad, 2nd day Karthik and Badrinath make UP toil Tamil Nadu 356 for 4 (Dinesh Karthik 159*, Badrinath 123, B Kumar 2-69) lead Uttar Pradesh 150 (Balaji 4-38, Amarnath 4-53) by 206 runs Scorecard Dinesh Karthik and S Badrinath added 313 for the third wicket, more than twice of what the entire Uttar Pradesh team managed in its first innings, to put Tamil Nadu in a commanding position at stumps on the second day in Ghaziabad. Tamil Nadu lead by 206 with six wickets still in hand, and will look to bat the opposition out of the game to secure an innings victory. Karthik and Badrinath came together with the score on 41 for 2 and crushed any hopes the home team would have entertained about making further inroads. Badrinath hit 13 fours and a six in his innings of 123, his 16th first-class century. He was eventually stumped off Praveen Gupta, who bowls left-arm spin, with the score on 254, and the foundation for a much more substantial lead firmly laid. Karthik, however, was the star of the day, remaining unbeaten on a career-best 159, and adding a further 94 with S Vidyut, who made 44. His knock, his fifth century, was laced with 19 boundaries. He is just four shy of 3000 first-class runs and will be the key for Tamil Nadu tomorrow, as the way he consolidates his innings could well determine the eventual lead Uttar Pradesh will have to scale down. The only moment of consolation for Uttar Pradesh, after Badrinath's dismissal, was the wicket of Vidyut towards the end of the day, caught by Ravikant Shukla off Sudeep Tyagi. Suresh Kumar, who came in to bat at No.5, was not out on 5, as Tamil Nadu ended the day on 356 for 4. Another POV Karthik, Badrinath score centuries Sports Reporter CENTURY MAKERS: Tamil Nadu’s Dinesh Karthik (left) and S. Badrinath during their big partnership against Uttar Pradesh. GHAZIABAD: Dinesh Karthik and S. Badrinath dug into their reserves of patience to notch up centuries and put Tamil Nadu in a strong position in its Super League Ranji Trophy match against Uttar Pradesh at the Jawahar Lal Nehru cricket stadium here on Monday. Karthik (159 batting, 320b, 19x4s) shook off his indifferent form while Badrinath (123, 252b, 13x4s, 1x6) strengthened his claim for a Test berth as the two put on 213 for the third wicket. Resuming at 78 for two, the Tamil Nadu skipper and his deputy did not give the opposition many chances. Finishing the day at 356 for four, this offers Tamil Nadu the perfect opportunity to launch the offensive for an outright win. Badrinath reached his century in the second session of the day before a lapse in concentration cost him his wicket. Going for the sweep against left-arm spinner Praveen Gupta, Badrinath missed the line and was stumped. Badrinath’s 16th first class century, in the presence of selector Yashpal Sharma, would definitely keep him in the reckoning for the vacant slot in the national side, created by the retirement of Sourav Ganguly. Karthik scored his fifth century which turned out to be his highest first class score. For the fourth wicket, the wicketkeeper-batsman added 94 with S. Vidyuth, who gathered 44 runs before driving Sudeep Tyagi straight to Ravikant Shukla at covers. Satisfied with his knock, Karthik said, “Now that we are in a strong position, we will look how it goes in the first hour and then take a decision. Ideally, to bat just once will be our goal.†Badrinath was thrilled to get a hundred. “I am not thinking about the selection (to the national side) for the England series, but I am hopeful. It (the knock) was important for me, especially the way I got the runs,†he said. Mumbai vs Delhi, Ranji Trophy Super League, Kotla, Delhi, 2nd Day Delhi 176 for 4 (Manhas 72*, Bhatia 45*, Agarkar 2-46) trail Mumbai 330 (Rahane 160, Muzumdar 83, Narwal 4-43, Awana 3-77) by 154 runs Scorecard Delhi struck back after a one-sided first day, bowling out Mumbai for 330, with Sumit Narwal and Parvinder Awana taking seven wickets between them, and then recovering from a precarious 79 for 4 to 176 at stumps without any further damage, thanks to an unbeaten 93-run fifth-wicket partnership between Mithun Manhas and Rajat Bhatia. Mumbai squandered their first-day advantage, losing eight wickets for 35 runs in under 20 overs. The 223-run partnership between overnight batsmen, Ajinkya Rahane and Amol Muzumdar, ended when Pradeep Sangwan, the left-arm pace bowler, trapped Muzumdar lbw for 83. Rahane fell in the next over, caught behind off Narwal for 160, as the two well-set batsmen departed, leaving an unexposed lower middle-order to combat the momentum Delhi secured early into the second day. Their resistance proved weak, as each of the last five Mumbai batsmen to fall failed to reach double figures. Delhi began poorly, losing Shikhar Dhawan, bowled by Agarkar, for 1. The top order struggled to build partnerships, with the next three wickets yielding 20 or more runs each, but failing to consolidate. Aakash Chopra was caught behind off Nilesh Kulkarni for 16, and Usman Malvi, the fast bowler, trapped Mayank Tehlan lbw for 21. Agarkar then took his second wicket , bowling Aditya Jain for 8, as Delhi seemed to lose the initiative after their remarkable comeback earlier in the day. Manhas and Bhatia, however, steadied the ship, hitting 20 boundaries between them. They will need to stick around for much longer tomorrow to help their team gain a first innings lead and tilt the balance in Delhi's favour Another POV Bowlers, and match, come alive G.S. Vivek Posted: Nov 18, 2008 at 0110 hrs IST New Delhi, November 17 In the Delhi dressing room they have still kept the ball that reduced Mumbai from 295/2 to 330 all out in the first session. They were probably trying to figure out what exactly prompted the red cherry to behave as it did, even as Sumit Narhwal, who finished with figures of 4/43 off 25 exhausting overs, got a chance to soothe his agony in an ice-bath. But soon it was clear that it was less about the ball and more about the bowlers. With the Mumbai seamers too making the ball talk, even the second session saw plenty of excitement. There were few wild guesses in the stands about the factors responsible for the sudden change in fortunes of the pacers — moisture in the air, and even snowfall in Jammu, were seen as reasons for the collapse. The simple explanation probably was that the bowlers, after toiling tirelessly on the first day, finally managed to put the ball in the right areas. Mumbai managed to add just 53 runs in 23.3 overs, and lost eight wickets in the bargain. Things didn’t change in the second session with Delhi reduced to 86/4 at tea. The men doing the damage were the new-ball bowlers Ajit Agarkar and Dhawal Kulkarni. Another twist At this stage, it seemed as if the match had taken another turn and, like on the first day, the visitors were once again on top. But Mithun Manhas and Rajat Bhatia came up with a now-routine rescue act to compile an unfinished 97-run fifth-wicket partnership and take Delhi to 176/4. When stumps were drawn, the game was hanging in balance with the all-important fight for the first innings lead on in real earnest. Manhas, playing his 100th first class game, showed the responsibility that comes with experience. He figured out where his fourth stump was quite early and left everything outside well alone. Bhatia, on the other end, punched precisely into the gaps off the back foot. Manhas, who completed his half-century from 77 balls with ten boundaries, was batting on 72 while Bhatia was unbeaten on 45. Top-order collapse Earlier, Shikhar Dhawan shouldered arms to see his off-stump flying as the players headed into lunch break. Soon after, Aakash Chopra nicked one behind off Kulkarni and Mayanak Tehlan’s search for a big innings continued. The Delhi No. 3 looked confident in his 21 before he was trapped in front by Usman Malvi. Aditya Jain followed, missing an Agarkar delivery that sent his leg-stump cartwheeling. There were a couple rank bad shots in the Mumbai innings too. Overnight batsmen Amol Muzumdar and Ajinkya Rahane tried to be aggressive against the second new ball that was claimed after 89.1 overs, but the ploy didn’t work. Muzumdar was the first to be dismissed for 81, adding only three to his first day score while Rahane nicked one to the ’keeper for 160. Hiken Shah hung around a while but the usually reliable lower-order bats — Sairaj Bahutule, Ramesh Powar and Agarkar — didn’t last long. The Delhi bowlers shared the spoils. Awana picked three, Sangwan one, while Nanda picked up two wickets in three deliveries to wrap up the Mumbai innings. In trouble THE CHAMPIONS are in trouble. Trouble that their batsmen have called upon themselves, which the Mumbai seamers were only too willing to supply. Trouble that could have them staring at the end of a not-toofavourable result against Mumbai, and put question marks on their prospects of reaching the quarterfinals. At 176 for 4 after two days of play, the hosts were 154 runs behind Mumbai's first innings score of 330 and in danger of falling further behind the pace in the group. The day had, however, began with promise for Delhi. Skipper Aakash Chopra opted to take the new ball 13 deliveries into the day, and his bowlers finally found their rhythm. The overnight duo of Ajinkya Rahane and Amol Muzumdar were dismissed within seven balls of each other and, for the first time in the match, the Delhi bowlers had their tails up. While Rahane (160) added nine runs to his score, Muzumdar (83) could manage only five. Delhi's pace attack of Pradeep Sangwan, Parwinder Awana and Sumit Narwal had come in for a lot of flak for the listless showing on Sunday, and it seemed each wanted to prove a point. And they did just that. They bowled with pace and purpose to remove the remaining eight Mumbai wickets for the addition of just 51 runs. Narwal was the pick of the three, ending up with figures of 10-4-11-3 on the day. What most had thought would be a long, hard day in the field for Delhi, had brought them right back in the game. But, not for long. Mumbai's new-ball attack of Ajit Agarkar and Dhawal Kulkarni was always going to ask questions of the Delhi batsmen, and it didn't take long. Shikhar Dhawan's wickets were in a mess on the 14th ball of the innings after he decided to leave an Ajit Agarkar delivery that moved in sharply. The Mumbai bowlers were suddenly finding movement, both off the wicket and in the air, and the Delhi batsmen found the going rather uncomfortable. With his team in trouble, and the onus was on skipper Chopra to see out this period of sustained Mumbai dominance, but he failed. Mumbai coach Praveen Amre had, before the match, earmarked young pacer Dhawal Kulkarni as the man to watch. On Monday, he showed why. Bowling with unwavering accuracy, Kulkarni troubled the Delhi batsmen no end with late movement. He was rewarded with Chopra's wicket in the first over of his second spell, inducing the opener's edge with a peach of a delivery. Chopra's fall was swiftly followed by the twin blows of Mayank Tehlan (6) and Aditya Jain (8) and Delhi were up against it at 79/4. It was the tried and tested pair of Mithun Manhas (72*) and Rajat Bhatia (45*) that brought a sense of respectability to the score with a resilient 97-run stand. Mumbai, though, still hold the aces and know they are a wicket away from the tail. As for Delhi, unless the lower order does what the big guns didn't — score — their season could well be over rather early. Hope The visitors would be hoping something similar when Delhi resume their quest for 331 and three points. The hosts’s hopes lie in the fact that the second new ball is still 29 overs away, giving the Bhatia-Manhas partnership enough time to get the defending champions’ campaign back on track. Gujarat vs Hyderabad, Ranji Trophy Super League, Motera, Ahmedabad, 2nd Day Hyderabad 33 for 1 (Rushi Raj 10*, Makda 1-10) trail Gujarat 520 for 9 decl (Modi 250*, Niraj Patel 76, Shoaib 3-72, Suman 3-63) by 487 runs Scorecard Riding on a massive, unbeaten 250 by Nilesh Modi, Gujarat posted an imposing 520 for 9 on the second day in Ahmedabad, and managed to dismiss Ravi Teja, the Hyderabad batsman, to strengthen their dominance in the match. Niraj Patel and Modi, who had put on 127 for the second wicket on the first day, added a further 35, before Patel was bowled by Shoaib Ahmed for 76. Although none of the other batsmen managed to get a sizable score, they chipped in with important cameos, providing enough support to Modi, to take Gujarat past 500. Parthiv Patel made 33, adding 58 for the fourth wicket, and Monish Parmar made a quick 34 off 25 balls, to put on 55 for the eighth wicket, as Hyderabad struggled to make frequent inroads, allowing the Gujarat batsmen to build important partnerships, enough to take their team to an imposing total. Shoaib and T Suman had three wickets each to show for their efforts. Gujarat eventually declared and bagged an early wicket, courtesy Ashraf Makda, to leave Hyderabad at 33 for 1 at stumps. Another POV Modi cracks double century Principal Correspondent AHMEDABAD: Nilesh Modi cracked his second Ranji Trophy double century as Gujarat continued to pile on the agony on Hyderabad. The host declared its first innings at 520 for nine and then reduced the visitor to 33 for one at close on the second day of their four-day Ranji Trophy Elite Group league match at the Sardar Patel Stadium (Motera) here on Monday. The 36-year-old Modi, playing in his 17th season, demonstrated the importance of circumspection and stroke selection on a pitch which continued to be of little help to bowlers. He was a picture of confidence during his unbeaten 250 (440b, 18x4) even as the Hyderabad fielding did not show the desired improvement on the second day. Modi had a stroke of luck when on 204, with substitute Akshath Reddy failing to latch on to a difficult chance at short mid-wicket off slow bowler Tirumalshetty Suman. For Hyderabad, it was the part-timers — Ahmed Quadri and Suman — who looked better than the regular bowlers. S.M. Shoaib struck the first blow of the day, cleaning up southpaw Niraj Patel (76, 181b, 4x4). Patel and Modi had put on 162 runs for the second wicket. Orissa vs Rajasthan, Ranji Trophy Super League, Sambalpur, 2nd Day Rajasthan 172 for 2 (Khoda 87*, Bist 32*, Dhiraj Singh 2-38) trail Orissa 281 (Pati 72, SS Das 74, H Das 59*, Yadav 4-45, Mathur 3-63) by 109 runs Scorecard Rajasthan, who just about had the edge on the first day, were well and truly on top at the end of the second, as Vivek Yadav, the legspinner, playing in only his second first-class match, took 4 for 45 to help bowl out Orissa for 281. In response, Gagan Khoda anchored the Rajasthan innings, scoring a patient, unbeaten 87, as his team progressed slowly to 172 for 2 at stumps. Halhadar Das was not out on 59 but was able to add just 16 runs to his overnight score of 43, as he ran out of partners. Debasis Mohanty fell on the fourth ball of the day, caught off Sumit Mathur. Gajendra Singh then dismissed Preetamjit Das for 14, and Yadav took the last two wickets to fall, as Orissa failed to build on an impressive start provided to them by their openers, Bikas Pati and Shiv Sunder Das, who put on 125, on the first day. Rajasthan got off to a good start, with their openers adding 81 before Dhiraj Singh trapped Saxena for 36. He struck again to remove No.3 batsman Rajesh Bishnoi for 5, but Khoda was ably supported by Robin Bist, who remained unbeaten on 32, to build the foundation for a sizable first innings score for Rajasthan. Baroda vs Railways, Ranji Trophy Super League, Karnail Singh Stadium, Delhi, 2nd Day Baroda 265 for 1 (Bilakhia 124*, Williams 107*) lead Railways 224 (Sharma 79, Rawat 67, Pathan 4-42, Veragi 3-51) by 41 runs Scorecard Twin tons from Conor Williams, the Baroda captain, and Azharuddin Bilakhia put Baroda firmly in command at stumps on the second day. Both batsmen made a mockery of the Railways score of 224, adding an unbeaten 218 for the second wicket as Baroda lost just one wicket, that of Satyajit Parab, who made 28, and secured a lead of 41 in their still ongoing first innings. Parab was lbw to Sanjib Sanyal, the medium-pacer, with the score on 47. But Williams, who scored his 16th first-class ton, and Bilakhia, whose unbeaten 127 is now his career-best, consolidated the Baroda innings steadily, hitting 25 boundaries and two sixes in their mammoth partnership, to provide their team with a platform for a substantial lead and a potential innings win. Another POV Williams and Bilakhia slam hundreds Special Correspondent NEW DELHI: The Railways camp ended up cursing the pitch even as Baroda batsmen Connor Williams and Azhar Anjum Bilakhia thrived on it to dominate the second day’s play in the Ranji Trophy Super League match at the Karnail Singh Stadium here on Monday. At close, Baroda was 265 for one in reply to Railways’ first innings total of 224. Williams and Bilakhia scored a century each as Baroda tormented the Railways attack with some purposeful batting. Even as the pitch showed no inclination to help the bowlers, Williams and Bilakhia did not lose their composure and played the ball on merit to put Baroda in a commanding position. Contrasting ways Williams loves to grind the attack. Bilakhia likes to belt it. Their knocks were in sharp contrast but the construction had a common goal — a possible victory. With the Railway bowlers wilting in the afternoon, Williams and Bilakhia drove with impeccable timing. Rubbing it in By the second session, the sweeper became a compulsion as Bilakhia’s off-side strokeplay against off-spinner Kulamani Parida set the alarm bells ringing. Railways skipper Sanjay Bangar had all but run out of options as his best bet, Murali Kartik, had failed to thwart the pair. While Williams’s was a chanceless effort, Bilakhia was dropped at short point by Harshad Rawle. The only similarity in their knocks was that they both crossed the nervous 90s cautiously, dealing in singles. Williams, who ended the day’s proceedings with a sweetly timed boundary to square-leg, said he was eyeing a 450-plus total. For the hosts, it was a painful end to proceedings that had started promisingly when Sanjib Sanyal trapped Satyajit Parab in front in the 12th over of the day. Day Three doesn’t promise much for Railways, unless the track opens up miraculously to the spinners. Good pitch “It was a nice pitch to bat on today,†confessed Williams. But Railways coach Abhay Sharma slammed the playing surface. “It was poor and not to our expectations,†he observed. Williams, who batted 247 balls, hit ten fours and a six while Bilahia, in his 264-ball show, has so far hit 15 fours and one six. Punjab vs Saurashtra, Ranji Trophy Super League, Rajkot, 2nd Day Saurashtra 81 for 1 (Chauhan 41*) trail Punjab 482 (Inder Singh 114, Sohal 103, Kohli 79, Kakkar 67, Jadeja 5-106, Makvana 3-115) by 401 runs Scorecard Crucial middle-order contributions by Taruwar Kohli and Ankur Kakkar, who added 119 for the sixth wicket, took Punjab to a formidable total of 481, a score they will settle for after ending the first day at 291 for 5. The Saurashtra response, led by opener Bhushan Chauhan, was solid, as they were 81 for 1 at stumps. Kohli, in his debut match, played a sedate knock, and was well supported by the more experienced Kakkar, with both scoring at over three an over, pretty high by this season's standards, to take the Punjab's score past 400. However, given their partnership, Punjab will be disappointed to not have scored in excess of 500, as they lost their last five wickets for 72 runs. Kakkar was the first to fall in the day, lbw to Ravindra Jadeja, the left-arm spinner, for 64. Kohli made 79 before being caught behind off Kamlesh Makvana as Saurashtra took a couple of quick wickets. But Manpreet Gony chipped in with a quick 33 to help Baroda get to their eventual score. Jadeja took two wickets in the day, to increase his tally to five, and shared eight wickets in all with Makvana. Kanaiya Vaghela put on 44 for the first wicket with Chauhan, but was trapped lbw by Gagandeep Singh, the fast bowler for Punjab. But Shitanshu Kotak, the No. 3 batsman, and Chauhan ensured there were no further hiccups and will be keen to consolidate their stand and help provide their team with a handy first innings lead. Another POV Saurashtra has its task cut out Special Correspondent Rajkot: At stumps on Monday evening Saurashtra’s Bhushan Chauhan and Sitanshu Kotak left the field with a honest sweat. Earlier left-hander opener Kanaiya Waghela did not offer a shot to seamer Gagandeep Singh and was declared plumb in front by umpire Sameer Bandekar. The home team toiled for nearly four hours on the second day of the Ranji Trophy Super League match at the Race Course ground and given its palpable lack of wherewithal to be really incisive with the ball, allowed Punjab to take its score from 291 for five to 482 in the first innings. Punjab added nearly 200 runs in around 56 overs with India under-19 star Taruwar Kohli making a steadfast 79 with a dozen hits to the fence and left-hander Ankur Kakkar making an attractive 67 with two sixes and half a dozen fours. The two became the second pair to raise 100 plus runs, the first one being Raviiinder Singh and Sunny Sohal. Left-arm spinner Ravindersinh Jadeja provided the first breakthrough a quarter of hour before lunch when he won an appeal for leg before against Kakkar. Thereafter wickets tumbled, Jadeja got his five-wicket haul, another spinner of his ilk Rakesh Dhruv captured his first wicket and off-spinner Kamlesh Makwana removed Kohli. At the lunch break, Manpreet Gony practised hitting hard shots and when his opportunity to bat came, he bludgeoned Dhruv for two electrifying sixes. The first one was a parallel shot, the ball not rising more than 20 feet after being firmly driven and landing on the barbed fencing. Smashing hits The second six was power-packed and spectacular; he moved his right leg toward the off-stump and swatted the ball over long on. Gony’s 36-ball 33 egged on right through by his teammates in the balcony ended when left-arm seamer Sandip Jobanputra sent his off-stump flying.

[Dravid]

Ganguly to play for Bengal Sourav Ganguly will represent his home state Bengal in their Ranji Trophy match against Vidarbha starting December 12. Ganguly, the former India captain, retired from international cricket earlier this month but has stated he will play in the IPL and the odd first-class game for Bengal. "We had requested Sourav to play for Bengal in the coming matches of the Ranji Trophy. He agreed, and gave us assurance that he will play in the Vidarbha match, which is good news for Bengal cricket," said Cricket Association of Bengal joint-secretary Arun Mitra was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. Ganguly is reportedly yet to decide on whether he will continue playing for Bengal should the side reach the knockout stage of the Ranji Trophy. He was at the Eden Gardens to watch day two of Bengal's match against Services in the Plate group. © Cricinfo :yay: